1
Stage 1 of 3
caper
Latin · ancient
"goat"
a plain word for a male goat
2
Stage 2 of 3
chevron
Old French · 1200s
"rafter; an inverted-V shape"
named for a roof rafter, because a shallow roof's angled timbers looked like a goat's bent hind legs
3
Stage 3 of 3
chevron
English · 1300s
"an inverted V-shaped stripe or emblem"
adopted as a heraldic charge, later a military rank stripe, keeping the inverted-V shape
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