Basketweave

Part of speech: noun, verb

Definitions

1. A textile pattern created by interlacing threads or strips alternately over and under in a way that mimics the appearance of woven baskets
2. A decorative weaving technique where strands cross in alternating directions to produce a pattern resembling interlaced basket materials
3. A fabric or design pattern formed by weaving elements back and forth in alternating fashion, creating the visual effect of basket construction

Etymology: "Basketweave" is a compound of "basket" and "weave," joining the noun for a woven container with the verb for interlacing strands. The combination describes the weaving pattern itself, in which strands cross over and under one another in a simple grid, the same technique used to make many baskets. The word has since moved well beyond baskets. In needlework and textile craft, a basketweave stitch produces a similar checkerboard effect, and in tiling and paving, basketweave patterns arrange bricks or boards in pairs running alternately horizontal and vertical. The name thus travelled from a literal method of construction to a visual pattern that can be stitched, laid or painted, with the original image of woven reeds still embedded in it.

Synonyms: basket weave, basketweaving