えんび
noun
swallowtail; forked shape like a swallow's tail
1. swallowtail; a tail-like forked shape
The deeply forked shape of a swallow's tail, used to describe objects with a similar V-shaped split, such as a tailcoat, a pennant, or a joint in woodworking. Most often seen in compounds.
燕尾(えんび)(かたち)をしている。
It is shaped like a swallow's tail.
この(はた)(さき)燕尾(えんび)()()んでいる。
The end of this flag is cut into a swallowtail.
燕尾服(えんびふく)(うし)ろは、燕尾(えんび)のように(ふた)つに()かれている。
The back of a tailcoat splits into two like a swallow's tail.

Literally 'swallow tail.' Rarely used alone in conversation; it appears mostly in fixed compounds naming swallowtail shapes.

COMMON COLLOCATIONS:

  • 燕尾服(えんびふく): tailcoat (formal evening dress)
  • 燕尾(えんび)(がた): swallowtail shape
  • 燕尾(えんび)(): swallowtail flag; pennant

SIMILAR WORDS:

  • 二股(ふたまた): fork; two-pronged split — an everyday word for a Y-shaped division
  • (): tail — the plain word for an animal's tail