Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • intransitive verb To make a piece of needlework by looping thread with a hooked needle.
  • intransitive verb To make by looping thread with a hooked needle.
  • noun Needlework made by looping thread with a hooked needle.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To produce a close or open fabric by hooking a thread of worsted, linen, silk, etc., into meshes with a crochet-needle.
  • To make in the style of work called crochet: as, to crochet a shawl; crocheted edging.
  • noun A fold of enamel directed forward from the anterior edge of the median cross-crest (metaloph) in such a tooth as the molar of a rhinoceros. See cut under tooth.
  • noun A kind of knitting by means of a needle with a hook at one end.
  • noun An old hagbut or hand-cannon. Wilhelm, Mil. Dict.
  • noun In fortification, an indentation in the glacis, opposite a traverse, continuing the covered way around the traverse.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • verb To knit with a crochet needle or hook.
  • noun A kind of knitting done by means of a hooked needle, with worsted, silk, or cotton; crochet work. Commonly used adjectively.
  • noun a small hook, or a hooked needle (often of bone), used in crochet work.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun Needlework made by looping thread with a hooked needle.
  • verb to make (a piece of) needlework using a hooked needle, to make interlocking loops of thread.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun needlework done by interlocking looped stitches with a hooked needle
  • verb create by looping or crocheting
  • verb make a piece of needlework by interlocking and looping thread with a hooked needle

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[French crocheter, from Old French crochet, hook, diminutive of croche, feminine of croc, of Germanic origin.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From French crochet, from Middle French crochet, from Old French crochet, crokét ("curved instrument, hook"), diminutive of Old French croc ("hook"), from Old Frankish *krōk ("hook") or from Old Norse krókr ("hook, bend, bight"), both from Proto-Germanic *krōkaz (“hook”), from Proto-Indo-European *gerg- (“tracery, basket, twist”). Cognate with Middle Dutch croec, crōc ("curl"), Middle English crōc ("crook, hook"). More at crook, crooked.

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Examples

  • I was especially impressed with the male servers and bartenders; most with signature Veuve brand bow ties, ascots or waistcoats; the ladies in crochet knee socks and feathers and variations on flapper wear in between.

    The Daily Truffle: Celebrities Turn Out for Veuve Clicquot Inaugural Polo Classic The Daily Truffle 2010

  • The single crochet is just like picking up a stitch then binding it off as you go.

    Yay for google! « Compulsive Knitter 2006

  • We both agreed that crochet is set up to be The Next Big Thing.

    July 2005 2005

  • We both agreed that crochet is set up to be The Next Big Thing.

    Rainy Saturday night 2005

  • I occupied my time in crochet-work, in attending to my ferns or pots of flowers, or in reading the books allowed me.

    Hawaii's Story, by Hawaii's Queen 1898

  • -- Tunisian crochet is also called crochet-knitting because, you have to cast on all the first row of stitches, as in knitting.

    Encyclopedia of Needlework Th��r��se de Dillmont 1868

  • I will learn this thing called crochet and make each and every one of you the following for Christmas.

    Does This Blog Make My Butt Look Big? 2008

  • They came to have elaborate patterns, often in matching sets for the various items of parlor furniture; they were either made at home using a variety of techniques such as crochet or tatting, or purchased.

    Balloon Juice » Blog Archive » Thursday Night Open Thread 2010

  • With respect I think that the idea that drug dealers will resort to more innocent business such as crochet, or garden gnome manufacturing once their trade has been depleted is optimistic.

    Freud ..not that one Newmania 2007

  • So I am reminding myself that I don't have to be the kind of crochet expert that she is a knitting expert.

    Column: The Work of our Hands Michelle 2009

Comments

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  • I pronounced that word "crotch-ett" for the longest time, lol... I like it that way better... :P

    March 12, 2009

  • Good idea. ;o}

    March 12, 2009

  • I still say it that way in my head. I have to be careful if using the word in conversation.

    March 12, 2009

  • Sounds like something my mom would say for fun. :-)

    March 12, 2009