swordtail
noun
sword·tail
ˈsȯrd-ˌtāl 
: a small brightly marked Central American live-bearer (Xiphophorus helleri of the family Poeciliidae) often kept in tropical aquariums and bred in many colors
Examples of swordtail in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Hermit Fiddler crabs wave their claws, swordtail fish flash their swordtails, manakins leap and buzz their wings.
—
Carl Zimmer, Discover Magazine, 30 July 2010
For years, my former Ph.D. student Ryan Earley and I were obsessed with power and spying in groups of a tiny fish called the swordtail.
—Lee Alan Dugatkin, Fortune, 27 Jan. 2023
Carl Zimmer, Discover Magazine, 30 July 2010
For years, my former Ph.D. student Ryan Earley and I were obsessed with power and spying in groups of a tiny fish called the swordtail.
—Lee Alan Dugatkin, Fortune, 27 Jan. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'swordtail.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near swordtail
Cite this Entry
“Swordtail.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/swordtail. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
swordtail
noun
sword·tail
ˈsō(ə)rd-ˌtāl
ˈsȯ(ə)rd-
: a small brightly marked Central American fish often kept in tropical aquariums and bred in many colors
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share