Etymograph

English

crochet

Crochet comes from French crochet ‘hook’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *gerg- ‘tracery, basket, twist’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*gerg-1‘tracery, basket, twist’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*krōkaz1‘hook’reconstructed
  3. Frankishc. 250–700*krōk1‘hook’uncertain
  4. Old Frenchc. 842–1400croc1‘hook’
  5. Old Frenchc. 842–1400crochet1diminutive of croc
  6. Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600crochet1
  7. Frenchc. 1600–presentcrochet1‘hook’
  8. Englishtodaycrochet1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English crochet

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*gerg-Wiktionary, English crochet‘tracery, basket, twist’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*krōkazWiktionary, English crochet‘hook’reconstructed
  3. Frankishc. 250–700*krōkWiktionary, English crochet‘hook’uncertain
  4. Old Frenchc. 842–1400crocWiktionary, English crochet‘hook’
  5. Old Frenchc. 842–1400crochetWiktionary, English crochetdiminutive of croc
  6. Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600crochetWiktionary, English crochet
  7. Frenchc. 1600–presentcrochetWiktionary, English crochet‘hook’
  8. EnglishtodaycrochetWiktionary, English crochet

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *gerg- ‘tracery, basket, twist’

crack, cricket, crick, 6 more

through Proto-Germanic *krōkaz ‘hook’

crook, crouch, 2 more

through Old French croc ‘hook’

encroach, 2 more

Today it means

noun A form of needlework that is made by looping thread with a hooked needle.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “crochet”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *gerg- / crochet

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