Meanings
houndstooth1
plural houndsteeth
- 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 562 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 1A 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 - 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 681 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 - countableuncountableHound's tongue, a plant of species Cynoglossum officinale
Houndstooth2
plural Houndstooths
- Alternative letter-case form of houndstooth.
Synonyms & antonyms
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
houndstooth. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/houndstooth
“houndstooth.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/houndstooth. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “houndstooth,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/houndstooth.
Source: houndstooth on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.