houndstooth

hounds·tooth
H4O1U1N1D2S1T1O1O1T1H4
US, UK/ˈhaʊndstuːθ/

noun

A two-colour fabric pattern of broken checks.

Similar

Meanings

houndstooth1

nounhoundstooth (countable and uncountable, plural houndsteeth)

plural houndsteeth

  1. countableuncountableA two-colour fabric pattern of broken checks.

    Sophisticated houndstooth checks highlight a toddler's jacket and hat.

    2004, Lois S. Young, “Houndstooth Toddler Set”, in Jeanne Stauffer, editor, Knitting in the Round, Berne, Ind.: House of White Birches, →ISBN, page 56
    2 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.

    1974, Interior Design, volume 45, New York, N.Y.: Interior Design Division of Whitney Communication Corp., →OCLC, page 251, column 1

    A houndstooth fabric is composed of tiny, interlocking pinwheel motifs. There are many houndstooth knitting patterns[…]; to add an extra touch to these patterns, work them in nubby or textured yarns.

    1998, Deborah Newton, “Dressmaker Details & Finishing”, in Designing Knitwear, Newtown, Ct.: Taunton Press, →ISBN, page 210
  2. countableuncountableFabric with a houndstooth pattern; an item of clothing made with such fabric.

    Her dress is wool too, brown and black houndsteeth that belonged to her mother.

    2014, Jacinda Townsend, “Jupiter”, in Saint Monkey: A Novel, New York, N.Y.: W. W. Norton & Company, →ISBN, page 68
    1 more example

    Their ties were tidier, their houndsteeth toothier … they ended up looking more Windsorian than Windsor.

    1970, Men's Wear, volume 161, New York, N.Y.: Fairchild Publications, →OCLC, page 73, column 1
  3. countableuncountableHound's tongue, a plant of species Cynoglossum officinale

Houndstooth2

nounHoundstooth (plural Houndstooths)

plural Houndstooths

  1. Alternative letter-case form of houndstooth.

Synonyms & antonyms

Similar

Origin

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.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Bulgarian пипит
  • пипит (pipit)fabric pattern
Catalan pota de gall
  • pota de gallfabric pattern
Finnish kukonaskel
  • kukonaskelfabric pattern
French pied-de-poule
  • pied-de-poulefabric pattern
German Hahnentritt
  • Hahnentrittfabric pattern
Japanese 千鳥格子, 千鳥柄
  • 千鳥格子 (chidori kōshi)fabric pattern
  • 千鳥柄 (chidori-gara)fabric pattern
Polish pepitka
  • pepitkafabric pattern
Spanish pata de gallo
  • pata de gallofabric pattern
Cite this entry
APA

houndstooth. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/houndstooth

MLA

“houndstooth.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/houndstooth. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “houndstooth,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/houndstooth.

Source: houndstooth on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.