ENGLISH
REFERENCE

chevron

n. countable
C1 Advanced US //ˈʃɛvɹɑn// UK //ʃˈɛvɹɒn// chevron Informal

n. a pattern or shape that looks like the letter V. You often see it on road signs, military uniforms, or as a design on floors and walls.

n. a V-shaped mark, pattern, or object, typically used in heraldry, on military uniforms to indicate rank, or as a decorative architectural motif.


SIMPLE

The soldier wore a silver chevron on his sleeve.

CONTEXTUAL

The road signs used bright yellow chevrons to warn drivers about the sharp curve ahead.

COMPLEX

The historic ballroom featured a stunning parquet floor laid in a chevron pattern, where the ends of the wooden planks were cut at an angle to meet perfectly in a continuous line.

Synonyms
Origin

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *kápros Proto-Italic *kapros Latin caper Latin *capreus Vulgar Latin *capriō Old French chevronbor. Middle English cheveroun English chevron From Middle English cheveroun, from Old French chevron, the mark so called because it looks like rafters of a shallow roof, from Vulgar Latin *capriō, from Latin caper (“goat”), the likely connection between goats and rafters being the animal's horns.

Usage

Often used as a modifier before another noun, such as 'chevron pattern' or 'chevron stripes'.

Pitfall

a herringbone floora chevron floorIn a chevron pattern, the wood ends are cut at an angle to form a straight line; in herringbone, rectangular planks overlap in a staggered zigzag.

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