different between freak vs crotchet

English

Alternative forms

• freake (obsolete)
• freik, freke, frick (Scotland)

Etymology 1

1560, "sudden change of mind, whim", of uncertain origin. Probably from a dialectal word related to Middle English frekynge (“capricious behaviour; whims”) and Middle English friken, frikien (“to move briskly or nimbly”), from Old English frician (“to leap, dance”), or Middle English frek (“insolent, daring”), from Old English frec (“desirous, greedy, eager, bold, daring”), from Proto-Germanic *frekaz, *frakaz (“hard, efficient, greedy, bold, audacious”) (in which case, it would be related to the noun under Etymology 2). Compare Old High German freh (“eager”), Old English fr?cne (“dangerous, daring, courageous, bold”).

Pronunciation

• enPR: fr?k, IPA^(key): /f?i?k/
• Rhymes: -i?k

Noun

freak (plural freaks)

1. A sudden change of mind

   Synonyms: whim, vagary, caprice, fancy; see also Thesaurus:whim
2. Someone or something that is markedly unusual or unpredictable.

   Synonyms: anomaly, outlier; see also Thesaurus:anomaly
3. A hippie.

   Synonyms: longhair, treehugger
4. A drug addict.

   Synonyms: druggie, user; see also Thesaurus:addict
5. (of a person) A nonconformist, especially in appearance, social behavior, sexual orientation, gender identity, and/or business practices; an oddball, especially in physiology (e.g., "circus freak"); unique, sometimes in a displeasing way.

   Synonyms: odd duck, weirdo; see also Thesaurus:strange person, Thesaurus:maverick

6. (bodybuilding) A person whose physique has grown far beyond the normal limits of muscular development; often a bodybuilder weighing more than 260 pounds (117.934 kilos).
7. An enthusiast, or person who has an obsession with, or extreme knowledge of, something.

   Synonyms: fanatic, geek; see also Thesaurus:fan

8. (informal, sometimes endearing) A very sexually perverse individual.

   Synonyms: horn dog, hypersexual, pervert; see also Thesaurus:libidinist

9. (dated) A streak of colour; variegation.

   Synonyms: (birds) superciliary, vein

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

freak (third-person singular simple present freaks, present participle freaking, simple past and past participle freaked)

1. (intransitive) To react extremely or irrationally, usually under distress or discomposure.
   • 1994, James Earl Hardy, B-Boy Blues: A Seriously Sexy, Fiercely Funny, Black-On-Black Love Story, (Alyson Publishing), page 107

     But after one night turned into five days, I was freaking out. I missed him.

2. (transitive) To make greatly distressed and/or a discomposed appearance.
3. (slang, transitive, intransitive) To be placed or place someone under the influence of a psychedelic drug, (especially) to experience reality withdrawal, or hallucinations (nightmarish), to behave irrational or unconventional due to drug use.
4. (transitive, dated) To streak; to variegate
   • 1930, Robert Seymour Bridges, The Testament of Beauty: A Poem in Four Books, (Literary Criticism), page 20

     […] in fine diaper of silver and mother-of-pearl freaking the intense azure; Now scurrying close overhead, wild ink-hued random racers that fling sheeted […]

Derived terms

• freak out

Translations

Adjective

freak (not comparable)

1. Strange, weird, unexpected.

   Synonyms: freakish; see also Thesaurus:strange, Thesaurus:lucky

Derived terms

• freak accident

Translations

Further reading

• freak in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• freak in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.

Etymology 2

From Middle English freke, freike (“a bold man, warrior, man, creature”), from Old English freca (“a bold man, warrior, hero”), from Proto-Germanic *frekô (“an active or eager man, warrior, wolf”), from *frekaz (“active, bold, desirous, greedy”), from Proto-Indo-European *pereg-, *spereg- (“to shrug, be quick, twitch, splash, blast”). Cognate with Old Norse freki (“greedy or avaricious one, a wolf”), Old High German freh (“eager”), German frech, Old English fr?cne (“dangerous, daring, courageous, bold”).

Pronunciation

• enPR: fr?k, IPA^(key): /f?i?k/
• Rhymes: -i?k

Noun

freak (plural freaks)

1. A man, particularly a bold, strong, vigorous man.
2. (Britain dialectal, Scotland) A fellow; a petulant young man.

Anagrams

• Kafer, faker

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from English freak.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /frik/, /fri?k/
• Hyphenation: freak
• Rhymes: -ik

Noun

freak m (plural freaks, diminutive freakje n)

1. freak (oddball)
2. freak (dedicated fan)

English

Etymology

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).

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /?k??t?.?t/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?k??t?.?t/

Noun

crotchet (plural crotchets)

1. (music) A musical note one beat long in 4/4 time.
2. (obsolete) A sharp curve or crook; a shape resembling a hook
3. (archaic) A whim or a fancy.
   • 1847, Thomas De Quincey, Secret Societies (published in Tait's Edinburgh Magazine):

     He ruined himself and all that trusted in him by crotchets that he could never explain to any rational man.

4. A forked support; a crotch.
5. (military, historical) An indentation in the glacis of the covered way, at a point where a traverse is placed.
6. (military) 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.
7. (printing) A square bracket.

Synonyms

• (musical note): quarter note (US)

Derived terms

• crotchety

Translations

Verb

crotchet (third-person singular simple present crotchets, present participle crotcheting, simple past and past participle crotcheted)

1. (obsolete) to play music in measured time

   • The nimblest crotcheting musician

2. Archaic form of crochet (knit by looping)

Norman

Etymology

From Old French crochet (“small hook”), from croc (with diminutive suffix -et), from Old Norse krókr (“hook”).

Noun

crotchet m (plural crotchets)

1. (Jersey, punctuation) bracket

Derived terms

• crotchet cârré (“square bracket”)