The herringbone pattern is named for its resemblance to a fish skeleton — but the same design has been used in Roman roads, Egyptian textiles, and Neolithic pottery.
A pattern of rows of short slanted parallel lines arranged in alternating directions, resembling the skeleton of a herring; used in textiles, masonry, and flooring.
A compound of herring (from Old English hæring, a type of fish) and bone (from Old English bān). The pattern name arose from the visual resemblance between the V-shaped arrangement and the ribcage of a herring fish. Key roots: *hēringaz (Proto-Germanic: "herring (possibly the gray