[Elamur Dictionary](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/english/crotchet/)

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# crotchet

noun (a crotchet, crotchets)

«crotchet» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. (music, UK) A crotchet is a musical note that lasts for one beat in most music; in the USA it is called a quarter note. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/crotchet/#m1)
2. (old-fashioned) A crotchet is a strange, fixed idea or habit. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/crotchet/#m2)

### In the lessons

In music lessons: crotchets, minims (two beats) and quavers (half a beat); counting beats is like fractions in maths; it tells you how long to hold a note.

### Examples

- A crotchet lasts for one beat. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/crotchet/#x1)
- Two quavers fit into one crotchet. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/crotchet/#x2)
- Clap four crotchets in each bar. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/crotchet/#x3)
- A minim is as long as two crotchets. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/crotchet/#x4)
- The crotchet has a black head and a stem. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/crotchet/#x5)

### Note

UK = crotchet, US = quarter note. Maths: crotchet = 1 beat; minim = 2; semibreve = 4; quaver = 1/2. Do not confuse with «crochet» (making things with yarn and a hook) — a common spelling trap.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «crotchet» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/crotchet/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«crotchet» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/crotchet.html) on Mova free.