herringbone

See also: herring-bone

English

Bricks arranged in a herringbone pattern

Herringbone fabric

Alternative forms

• herring-bone

Etymology

herring +‎ bone

Pronunciation

• (Canada) IPA^(key): /ˈhɛɹɪŋˌboʊn/

Noun

herringbone (countable and uncountable, plural herringbones)

1. (countable) A bone of a herring.
   • 1884, Samuel Smiles, Men of Invention and Industry:

     The prosperity of Amsterdam was then so great that it was said that Amsterdam was "founded on herring-bones."

2. A zigzag pattern, especially made by bricks, on a cloth, or by stitches in sewing.
   • 1861, Charlotte Yonge, The Young Step-Mother:

     'The best path of life is but a herring-bone pattern.'

   • 1922 February, James Joyce, Ulysses, Paris: Shakespeare and Company, […], →OCLC:

     Mr Bloom walked behind the eyeless feet, a flatcut suit of herringbone tweed.

3. (countable, skiing) A method of climbing a hill by pointing the skis outward in a V-shape to keep from sliding backwards.
4. Twilled fabric woven in rows of parallel sloping lines.
   • 1963, Men's Wear, volume 147, page 39:

     For some strange and elusive reason, the staid, prosaic herringbones have angled themselves into a position of fashion prominence.

Derived terms

• herringbone gear
• herringbone stitch

 

Related terms

• fishbone
• herringlike

 

Translations

bone of a herring

• Danish: sildeben n
• Finnish: sillinruoto
• Irish: cnámh an scadáin m
• Italian: ossatura dell'aringa f

pattern

• Bulgarian: рибена кост f (ribena kost)
• Catalan: mostra d’espiga f
• Danish: sildebensmønster n (pattern), sildebensparket n (parquet)
• Finnish: kalanruotokuvio, kalanruoto- (fi)
• German: Fischgrätenstich m, Fischgrätenmuster n
• Irish: cnámh an scadáin m
• Italian: a spina di pesce (it)
• Maori: whakaiwituna
• Polish: jodełka (pl)

method of climbing on skis

• Bulgarian: рибена кост f (ribena kost)
• Finnish: haarakäynti, haaranousu

fabric

• Finnish: kalanruotokangas

Verb

herringbone (third-person singular simple present herringbones, present participle herringboning, simple past and past participle herringboned)

1. To stitch in a herringbone pattern.
2. (skiing) To climb a hill by pointing the skis outward in a V-shape to keep from sliding backwards.

Derived terms

• herringboned (adjective)