4. A swallow-tailed coat. This Stultz coat, a blue swallowtail, with yellow buttons. Thackeray.
5. An arrow. Sir W. Scott.
6. (Zoöl.)
Defn: 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.
Note: The black swallowtail, or asterias (see Papilio), the blue swallowtail, or philenor, the tiger swallowtail, or turnus (see Turnus), and the zebra swallowtail, or ajax (see under Zebra) are common American species. See also Troilus.
SWALLOW-TAILED
Swal"low-tailed`, a.
1. Having a tail like that of a swallow; hence, like a swallow's tail in form; having narrow and tapering or pointed skirts; as, a swallow- tailed coat.
2. (Carp.)
Defn: United by dovetailing; dovetailed. Swallow-tailed duck (Zoöl.), the old squaw. — Swallow-tailed gull (Zoöl.), an Arctic gull (Xema furcata), which has a deeply forked tail. — Swallow-tailed hawk or kite (Zoöl.), the fork-tailed kite. — Swallow-tailed moth (Zoöl.), a European moth (Urapteryx sambucaria) having tail-like lobes on the hind wings.
SWALLOWWORT Swal"low*wort`, n. (Bot.) (a) See Celandine. (b) A poisonous plant (Vincetoxicum officinale) of the Milkweed family, at one time used in medicine; — also called white swallowwort. African swallowwort, a plant of the genus Stapelia.