Word Study
swallowtail
CIDE DICTIONARY
swallowtail, n.
- A kind of tenon or tongue used in making joints. See Dovetail. [1913 Webster]
- A species of willow. [1913 Webster]
- An outwork with converging sides, its head or front forming a reëntrant angle; -- so called from its form. Called also
priestcap . [1913 Webster] - A swallow-tailed coat. [1913 Webster]"This Stultz coat, a blue swallowtail, with yellow buttons." [1913 Webster]
- An arrow. Sir W. Scott. [1913 Webster]
- Any one of numerous species of large and handsome butterflies, belonging to Papilio and allied genera, in which the posterior border of each hind wing is prolongated in the form of a long lobe. [1913 Webster]" The black swallowtail, or asterias (see
Papilio ), the blue swallowtail, or philenor, the tiger swallowtail, or turnus (seeTurnus ), and the zebra swallowtail, or ajax (see underZebra ) are common American species. See alsoTroilus ." [1913 Webster]
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