crotchety

WOTD – 29 April 2009    

English

Etymology

From crotchet + -y, using crotchet in the 16th century sense of a whim or a fancy

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA: /ˈkɹɒtʃ.ə.tɪ/
• (US) IPA: /ˈkɹɑ.tʃɨ.ti/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Alternative forms

• crochety

Adjective

crotchety (comparative crotchetier or more crotchety, superlative crotchetiest or most crotchety)

1. Cranky, disagreeable, or stubborn, especially if prone to odd whims or fancies.

Translations

cranky, disagreeable or stubborn

• Bulgarian: капризен (bg) (kaprizen)
• Czech: vrtošivý (cs)

• Finnish: oikukas (fi), äksy (fi)