swordtail

American

[sawrd-teyl, sohrd-] / ˈsɔrdˌteɪl, ˈsoʊrd- /

noun

any of several small, brightly colored, viviparous, freshwater fishes of the genus Xiphophorus, native to Central America, having the lower part of the caudal fin elongated into a swordlike structure: often kept in aquariums.

swordtail British

/ ˈsɔːdˌteɪl /

noun

any of several small freshwater cyprinodont fishes of the genus Xiphophorus, esp X. helleri, of Central America, having a long swordlike tail

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of swordtail

First recorded in 1925–30; sword + tail ¹

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

In an ingenious experiment involving one-way mirrors, Earley discovered that swordtail spies avoid interacting with the winner of a contest they have watched.

From Scientific American • Apr. 15, 2022

The fish, a male swordtail, seemed almost manic in his effort to be noticed.

From New York Times • Jan. 9, 2019

Cummings is now comparing male behaviour of various swordtail species.

From Nature • Oct. 6, 2015

For example, some swordtail fish have three sex chromosomes in a population.

From Textbooks • Apr. 25, 2013

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023