Link Centre Dictionary

crotchety

crotc·hety

UK/ˈkɹɒtʃ.ə.tɪ/ US/ˈkɹɑ.t͡ʃɪ.ti/ uncommon

adjective

1.

having a difficult and contrary disposition

  • “a cantankerous and venomous-tongued old lady” Dorothy Sayers

Origin

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

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.