swallowtail

Thân thiện

A gentleman adjusts his swallowtail before a formal event.

Definition

Noun: 1. A type of formal coat: A man's formal evening jacket, characterized by having two long, tapering panels (tails) at the back, which are reminiscent of the forked tail of a swallow bird. This garment is a key component of "white tie" attire. 2. A type of butterfly: Any of numerous butterflies, typically large and brightly colored, belonging to the family Papilionidae, noted for having often elongated hindwing projections that resemble tails.

Examples

• Noun (Garment):
  • He looked elegant in his black swallowtail and white bow tie.
  • The dress code for the state dinner requires a swallowtail and waistcoat.
• Noun (Butterfly):
  • A beautiful yellow swallowtail was fluttering among the flowers.
  • The Eastern Tiger Swallowtail is a common species in North American gardens.

Advanced Usage

• "swallowtail coat": A more descriptive, full term for the formal jacket, often used interchangeably with "tailcoat" or "tails."
  • For the wedding, the groom and his groomsmen all wore traditional swallowtail coats.

Variants and Related Words

• Tailcoat (n): A direct synonym for the formal jacket meaning of "swallowtail."
• Swallow-tailed (adj): Having a shape that resembles the forked tail of a swallow or the tails of the formal coat. Can describe birds, butterflies, or flags.
  • The kite had a distinctive swallow-tailed design.

Synonyms

• For the garment: Tailcoat, tails, dress coat, full-dress coat.
• For the butterfly: Papilionid (technical term from the family name ).

Related Idioms

• "In tails": An idiom meaning dressed in a swallowtail coat as part of full evening dress.
  • The orchestra members were dressed in tails for the performance.

Học thuật

Noun

1. a man's full-dress jacket with two long tapering tails at the back

Từ đồng nghĩa

• swallow-tailed coat
• morning coat