herring-bone noun, adjective, & verb. ['hɛrɪŋbǝʊn] Also herringbone. L16.
[from HERRING + BONE noun.]
A. noun.
1. (A bone from) the skeleton of a herring. L16.

2. = herring-bone stitch below. M18.

3. A zigzag pattern or arrangement, as of the weave of a cloth, or of stones, bricks, or tiles; cloth woven in a zigzag pattern. M19.

4. Skiing. A method of climbing a slope by walking with the skis pointed outwards. E20.
b. attrib. or as adjective. Resembling the bones of a herring; having a zigzag pattern; (of cloth) having a zigzag weave. M17.

Special collocations & comb.:
herring-bone banding a decorative border on furniture consisting of two diagonally-grained strips of veneer laid side by side. herring-bone coralline a marine coelenterate of the genus Halecium, often growing on oyster-shells. herring-bone gear a gearwheel with two sets of teeth inclined at an acute angle to each other. herring-bone parlour a milking parlour in which the cows stand at an angle to a central operator's pit. herring-bone stitch an asymmetric cross-stitch used in embroidery or for securing an edge.
C. verb.
1. verb trans. & intrans. Sew with herring-bone stitch. L18.

2. verb trans. Mark with a herring-bone pattern; Architecture lay (stones, bricks, tiles etc.) in a herring-bone design. L19.

3. verb intrans. Skiing. Climb a slope by pointing the skis outward. E20.

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