herringbone
herringbone Lexical Profile
herringbone Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Having, woven in, or arranged in a V-shaped zigzag pattern resembling the skeleton of a herring.
"The living room features a classic herringbone parquet floor made of solid oak."
• noun
A pattern consisting of columns of short parallel lines in which all the lines in one column slope one way and those in the adjacent column slope the other way, resembling the bones of a fish.
"The brick walkway was laid in a traditional herringbone for added durability and visual appeal."
A twill-weave fabric, typically wool or tweed, woven in a distinctive V-shaped zigzag pattern.
"He wore a tailored overcoat made of heavy gray herringbone."
A technique for climbing a slope on skis by walking with the ski tips pointed outward and the tails close together, leaving V-shaped tracks in the snow.
"The cross-country skiers used a steady herringbone to ascend the steep hill."
• verb
To climb a slope on skis with the ski tips pointed outward and the inner edges digging into the snow.
"We had to herringbone up the final ridge before skiing down into the valley."
To mark, stitch, or lay out in a V-shaped zigzag pattern.
"The mason carefully herringboned the bricks across the courtyard."
Word Origin & Etymology
Coined in the mid-17th century from the compound of 'herring' and 'bone', in reference to the distinctive V-shaped arrangement of the spine and rib bones of a herring.