: any of various usually large brightly marked butterflies (family Papilionidae, especially genus Papilio) with each hind wing typically having an elongated process
Recent Examples on the WebComing in 2019/20: a swallowtail split with weighted tails for user-friendly kick turns. Olivia Dwyer, Outside Online, 6 Feb. 2018 For example, a Luzon peacock swallowtail—a particularly rare and endangered butterfly—was available from Amazon in a display box for $110. Doug Johnson, Ars Technica, 2 May 2022 The classic Dart shape remains the same: a broad, rockered nose; a wide, cambered midsection; and a relatively petite, tapered backseat notched with a sultry swallowtail. Drew Zieff, Outside Online, 28 Mar. 2022 The exterior side of the Kawana’s swallowtail is about a half-inch more pronounced than the interior side and is apparently meant to distribute the weight of a heel strike. Joe Jackson, Outside Online, 24 Mar. 2022 Its flavors seem airborne, flitting around your mouth like a swallowtail and touching down on your palate just long enough to tantalize you into wanting another sip.Washington Post, 30 July 2021 Unlike the giant swallowtail, the gulf fritillary hatches a large number of caterpillars on its egg-laying site, and those caterpillars will often strip it of foliage during the breeding season. Calvin Finch, San Antonio Express-News, 4 June 2021 In due course, a floor manager in a swallowtail coat and striped trousers appeared. David Marchese, New York Times, 2 May 2021 There are a handful of specialized shapes, including a swallowtail in the Weston line, that our testers prefer on road-closing powder days. Drew Zieff, Popular Mechanics, 7 Dec. 2020 See More