Having a stepped or stair-like pattern on the roof edge, a style of architecture where the gable end has a series of squared steps rather than a smooth slope.
From 'crow's step' or 'crow-step,' combining 'crow' (possibly from Dutch 'kraaientrappen' or resembling a crow's foot shape) and 'stepped.' This architectural feature became popular in Northern European and Scottish building design during the medieval period.
You can spot crowstepped gables all over medieval Scottish and Dutch towns—the zigzag roofline looks like a staircase leading to the sky! Architects used these steps both for style and because they actually helped with water drainage and made roofs easier to repair.
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