CROTCHET, noun [See Crook.] 1. In printing, a hook including words, a sentence or a passage distinguished form the rest, thus [ ]. 2. In music, a note or character, equal in time to half a minim, and double of a quaver. 3. A piece of wood resembling a fork, used as a support in building. 4. A peculiar turn of the mind; a whim, or fancy; a perverse conceit. All the devices and crotchets of new inventions.
Source: Webster's 1828 American Dictionary ↗ · public-domain · returned verbatim, no AI