In Unicode, the symbol is U+2669 (♩).
A related symbol is the quarter rest (or crotchet rest). It denotes a silence of the same duration as a quarter note. Some describe the quarter rest as a "z joined to a c."
The note derives from the semiminima of mensural notation. The word crotchet comes from Old French crochet, meaning 'little hook', diminutive of croc, 'hook', because of the hook used on the note in black notation. However, because the hook appeared on the eighth note (or quaver) in the later white notation, the modern French term croche refers to an eighth note. The term quarter note is a loan translation of German Viertelnote.
The names of this note (and rest) in European languages vary greatly:
| Language | note name | rest name |
|---|---|---|
| German | Viertelnote | Viertelpause |
| Greek | Tetarto (τέταρτο) | Pafsi tetartou (παύση τετάρτου) |
| French | noire | soupir |
| Italian | semiminima | pausa di semiminima |
| Spanish | negra | silencio de negra |
| Swedish | fjärdedelsnot | fjärdedelspaus |
| Portuguese | semínima | pausa de semínima |
The French and Spanish names for the note (both meaning "black") derive from the fact that the semiminima was the longest note to be colored in mensural white notation, which is true as well of the modern form. The Greek names mean "quarter" (for the note) and "quarter's pause" (for the rest); all rests in music are called "pauses" in Greek.
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Last updated on Wednesday June 11, 2008 at 12:57:35 PDT (GMT -0700)
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