Houndstooth
noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 A two-colour fabric pattern of broken checks.
"Other patterns include varied adaptations of paisleys, Tree of Life motifs, tiles, scenics, patchworks, ticking, soft-edge geometries, sports themes, crewel shapes, houndsteeth, and a plethora of florals."
- 2 Fabric with a houndstooth pattern; an item of clothing made with such fabric.
"Their ties were tidier, their houndsteeth toothier … they ended up looking more Windsorian than Windsor."
- 3 Hound's tongue, a plant of species Cynoglossum officinale
Example
More examples"Other patterns include varied adaptations of paisleys, Tree of Life motifs, tiles, scenics, patchworks, ticking, soft-edge geometries, sports themes, crewel shapes, houndsteeth, and a plethora of florals."
Etymology
From hound + -s- + tooth, from its appearance. Although the pattern itself is archaeologically found from time immemorial, the modern term is first attested in 1936.
More for "houndstooth"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.