herringbone

/ˌhɛrɪŋˈboʊn/

Other forms: herringbones

Herringbone is a pattern of small Vs that looks like a broken zigzag. You might be able to spot herringbone in your favorite twill coat and the wooden floor in your apartment.

Herringbone gets its name from the similarity to the skeleton of a herring, its small bones forming Vs. It's a very popular weaving pattern, and if you look closely at suit jackets or wool coats, you'll see what herringbone looks like. In flooring, tile, brick patios and even sidewalks, herringbone patterns are also common, with parallel lines that alternate sloping one way and then the other, forming a kind of zigzag.

Definitions of herringbone

1. noun

   a pattern of columns of short parallel lines with all the lines in one column sloping one way and lines in adjacent columns sloping the other way; it is used in weaving, masonry, parquetry, embroidery
   synonyms: herringbone pattern

   type of:

   design, figure, pattern

   a decorative or artistic work
2. noun

   a twilled fabric with a herringbone pattern
   type of:

   cloth, fabric, material, textile

   artifact made by weaving or felting or knitting or crocheting natural or synthetic fibers