quarter note

American  

noun

Music.

1. a note equivalent to one fourth of a whole note; a crotchet.

---

quarter note British  

noun

1. Also called: crotchet.  music a note having the time value of a quarter of a semibreve

---

Etymology

Origin of quarter note

First recorded in 1755–65

Example Sentences

We settled on three music notes — one quarter note, one eighth and one sixteenth — in a triangular cluster.

From New York Times • Jul. 7, 2021

“I’m still looking for the music in between the sentences,” Densmore says, taking a quick quarter note rest, perfectly paced.

From Washington Post • Oct. 5, 2017

It’s difficult to lose yourself when you’re hyperconscious of cadence; eventually, the thud of each quarter note starts to amplify the jarring lag before your own sneaker hits the ground.

From Slate • Jun. 9, 2015

It traverses wit and melancholy, surrealism and truth without missing a quarter note.

From Time Magazine Archive

For example, if "a quarter note gets a beat," then playing many quarter notes in a row would mean playing a new note on every beat.

From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones