Home › Words › H › herringboneherringbone/ˈhɛɹɪŋˌboʊn/herringbone · noun — A bone of a herring.Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, herringbone ranks #1,781 of 42,854 for Qualifying.herringbone is pronounced /ˈhɛɹɪŋˌboʊn/.EtymologyFrom herring + bone.nounA bone of a herring.e.g.“The prosperity of Amsterdam was then so great that it was said that Amsterdam was "founded on herring-bones."” — 1884, Samuel Smiles, Men of Invention and Industry:A zigzag pattern, especially made by bricks, on a cloth, or by stitches in sewing.e.g.“'The best path of life is but a herring-bone pattern.'” — 1861, Charlotte Yonge, The Young Step-Mother:A method of climbing a hill by pointing the skis outward in a V-shape to keep from sliding backwards.Twilled fabric woven in rows of parallel sloping lines.e.g.“For some strange and elusive reason, the staid, prosaic herringbones have angled themselves into a position of fashion prominence.” — 1963, Men's Wear, volume 147, page 39:verbTo stitch in a herringbone pattern.To climb a hill by pointing the skis outward in a V-shape to keep from sliding backwards.Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).