The chevron has been used as a decorative motif since at least 1300 BC, and is used in heraldry and military insignia.
Chevron can be a single downward turned V or, can denote a pattern of tiled chevrons. The lines that makes up a Chevron pattern are normally alternating colors of the same width.
As a uniform horizontal repeat, the pattern is called Chevron. If the the pattern is turned on its side, has varying line widths, or different sized V shapes, it is usually referred to the more generic term zigzag.
Bold, wide chevron prints have made a resurgence in the past few years in single colors such as aqua, grey, and yellow combined with white.