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chevron

[shev-ruh n]
|

noun

a badge consisting of stripes meeting at an angle, worn on the sleeve by noncommissioned officers, police officers, etc., as an indication of rank, service, or the like.
an ornament in this form, as on a molding.
Also called chevron weave. herringbone(def 2a).
Heraldry. an ordinary in the form of an inverted V.

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Nearby words

  1. cheviot,
  2. cheviot hills,
  3. chevon,
  4. chevra kadisha,
  5. chevrette,
  6. chevronel,
  7. chevrotain,
  8. chevy,
  9. chevy chase,
  10. chew

Origin of chevron

1300–50; Middle English cheveroun < Old French: rafter, chevron < Vulgar Latin *capriōn- (stem of *capriō), derivative of Latin caper goat
Related formschev·roned, adjectiveun·chev·roned, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for chevron

British Dictionary definitions for chevron

chevron

noun

military a badge or insignia consisting of one or more V-shaped stripes to indicate a noncommissioned rank or length of service
heraldry an inverted V-shaped charge on a shield, one of the earliest ordinaries found in English arms
(usually plural) a pattern of horizontal black and white V-shapes on a road sign indicating a sharp bend
any V-shaped pattern or device
Also called: dancette an ornamental moulding having a zigzag pattern

Word Origin for chevron

C14: from Old French, ultimately from Latin caper goat; compare Latin capreoli two pieces of wood forming rafters (literally: little goats)
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for chevron

chevron

n.

late 14c., from Old French chevron "rafter; chevron" (13c.), the accent mark so called because it looks like rafters of a shallow roof, from Vulgar Latin *caprione, from Latin caper "goat" (see cab); the hypothetical connection between goats and rafters being the animal's angular hind legs. Cf. Latin capreolus "props, stays, short pieces of timber for support," lit. "wild goat, chamoix."

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper