A musical note with a particular duration, equal to one-quarter of a whole note; also means a small hook or a perverse notion or whim.
From Old French crochet (small hook), derived from croche (hook-shaped), with the sense evolving from the hook-shaped note symbol in musical notation to the note's temporal value.
Musical notation's hook-shaped symbols literally look like tiny crochets (hooks), and that visual similarity gave the note its name—medieval music notation was visual poetry!
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.