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crochu

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Etymology and origin of the French word crochu

Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
c. 1160 Roman d'Eneas More words from the 12th century
Ultimate origin
Frankish *krōk

Forms

crochu (feminine crochue, masculine plural crochus, feminine plural crochues)[1]

Etymology

It is formed from French croc + -u.[2][3][4] The noun croc “hook” comes from Frankish *krōk (“hook”), which Bloch and Wartburg compare with Old Norse krókr.[4]

Littré compares Old Occitan crocut.[5] The TLFi dates the adjective to about 1160, in the Roman d'Eneas, while the GLLF and the Petit Robert place its first record at the end of the 12th century.[2][6][7]

Earliest recorded meaning

Its first record, in the Roman d'Eneas (about 1160), applies it to hooked toes or claws (artolz crochuz).[2]

Semantic evolution

The adjective has always meant “bent like a hook”, and it is most common in nez crochu “hooked nose”.[8][7] Montaigne used atomes crochus in 1580 for the hooked atoms that, in the philosophy of Democritus, catch on one another to make up bodies;[6][8][5] the phrase later came to mean the affinities that draw two people together.[8][7] Cotgrave records avoir les mains crochues “to be grasping, thievish” in 1611, and cheval crochu, a horse whose hocks are too close together, appears in 1678.[6]

The adjective croche (1520, nez croche), formed from the feminine of the noun, competed with crochu; it aged in central France but lived on in western dialects, which passed it on to the French of Quebec, where it is still common.[8]

Timeline

  • c. 1160 – Crochuz appears in the Roman d'Eneas.[2][3]
  • 1520 – The competing adjective croche is recorded.[8]
  • 1580 – Montaigne writes of atomes crochus.[6]
  • 1611 – Cotgrave records avoir les mains crochues.[6]
  • 1678 – Cheval crochu is used in horsemanship.[6]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. Bent in the shape of a hook, hooked: bec crochu, nez crochu.[7][2][5]
  2. (figurative, familiar) Avoir les mains crochues, les doigts crochus: to be greedy or inclined to steal.[7][5][6]
  3. (philosophy) Atomes crochus: in the system of Democritus, atoms that hook onto one another to form bodies; figuratively, avoir des atomes crochus avec quelqu'un is to feel an affinity with someone.[7][8]
  4. (horsemanship) Of a horse: having the hocks too close together.[5][6]

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
  3. ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ a b Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  5. ^ a b c d e Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  7. ^ a b c d e f Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  8. ^ a b c d e f Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
Cite this entry

“Crochu.” Etymologically, 15 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/crochu. Accessed 15 Nov. 2026.

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