Dictionary
Thesaurus
Encyclopedia
Translator
Web
Related Searches
Synonyms
Nearby Words

talon

 - 6 dictionary results
Talon
Eagle Info at edmunds.com Get Your Free Price Quote Now!
www.Eagle.Edmunds.com
Buy Helle Comfort talon
Talon Open Footwear Free Shipping Both Ways
www.Zappos.com

tal⋅on

  [tal-uhn]
Use talon in a Sentence
–noun
1. a claw, esp. of a bird of prey.
2. the shoulder on the bolt of a lock against which the key presses in sliding the bolt.
3. Cards. the cards left over after the deal; stock.
Origin:
1350–1400; ME taloun < AF; OF talon < VL *tālōn-, s. of *tālō, for L tālus heel

Related forms:
taloned, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To talon
Talon
Eagle Info at edmunds.com Get Your Free Price Quote Now!
www.Eagle.Edmunds.com
Buy Helle Comfort talon
Talon Open Footwear Free Shipping Both Ways
www.Zappos.com
tal·on   (tāl'ən)   
n.  

    1. The claw of a bird of prey.

    2. The similar claw of a predatory animal.

  2. Something similar to or suggestive of an animal's claw.

  3. The part of a lock that the key presses in order to shoot the bolt.

  4. Games The part of the deck of cards in certain card games left on the table after the deal.

  5. Architecture An ogee molding.


[Middle English taloun, from Old French talon, heel, from Vulgar Latin *tālō, tālōn-, from Latin tālus, ankle.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Word Origin & History

talon 
c.1400, talounz "claws of a bird or beast," probably originally from O.Fr. talon "heel or hinder part of the foot of a beast, or of a man, or of a shoe," from M.L. talonem "heel," from L. talus "ankle" (see talus (1)). "The extension to birds of prey, and subsequent stages, are peculiar to English" [OED].
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: tal·on
Pronunciation: 'tal-&n
Function: noun
: the crushing region of the crown of an upper molar
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
Cite This Source
Science Dictionary
talon   (tāl'ən)  Pronunciation Key 
One of the sharp, curved claws on a limb of a bird or other animal such as a lizard, used for seizing and tearing prey. Most talons are situated at the ends of digits.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Encyclopedia

talon

narrow, arched structure that curves downward from the end of the digit in birds, reptiles, many mammals, and some amphibians. It is a hardened (keratinized) modification of the epidermis. Claws may be adapted for scratching, clutching, digging, or climbing. By analogy, the appendages of other lower animals are frequently called claws. The claw's shape is ordinarily suited to the food-getting habit of the animal. Eagles have long, curved talons for grasping prey; the claws of chickens are short and sturdy, for scratching the ground for food.

Learn more about talon with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
Cite This Source
Search another word or see talon on Thesaurus | Reference
FacebookTwitterFollow us:
Partner Sites:
Ask AnswersEviteExpediaHotelsHotwireLife123LiveDailyMy Way