# crotchet

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈkɹɑt͡ʃ.ɪt/

## Definitions
1. A musical note one beat long in 4/4 time.
2. A sharp curve or crook; a shape resembling a hook
3. A hook-shaped instrument, especially as used in obstetric surgery.
4. A whim or a fancy.
5. A forked support; a crotch.
6. An indentation in the glacis of the covered way, at a point where a traverse is placed.
7. The arrangement of a body of troops, either forward or rearward, so as to form a line nearly perpendicular to the general line of battle.
8. A square bracket.

## Etymology
From Middle English crochet, from Old French crochet (“small hook”), from croc + -et (diminutive suffix), from Old Norse krókr (“hook”). The musical note was named so because of a small hook on its stem in black notation (in modern notation this hook is on the quaver/eighth note). Doublet of crochet, crocket, and croquet.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/crotchet