talon

American  

[tal-uhn] / ˈtæl ən /

noun

1. a claw, especially 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.

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talon British  

/ ˈtælən /

noun

1. a sharply hooked claw, esp of a bird of prey

2. anything resembling a bird's claw

3. the part of a lock that the key presses on when it is turned

4. cards the pile of cards left after the deal

5. architect another name for ogee

6. stock exchange a printed slip attached to some bearer bonds to enable the holder to apply for a new sheet of coupons

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talon Scientific  

/ tăl′ən /

1. 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.

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Other Word Forms

• taloned adjective
• untaloned adjective

Etymology

Origin of talon

1350–1400; Middle English taloun < Anglo-French; Old French talon < Vulgar Latin *tālōn-, stem of *tālō, for Latin tālus heel

Example Sentences

It can weigh as much as 5½ pounds with a wingspan of nearly 5 feet and have large, powerful talons.

From Los Angeles Times

Or the peregrine falcons, with their bladelike talons and darting eyes that could spot a tasty field mouse on the ground from hundreds of feet in the air?

From Literature

They can be seen running up and down flapping their wings on the ledge – 34 storeys high – while their mother has been flying past with pigeons in her talons.

From BBC

Larger birds scraped at robotic faces with their talons.

From Literature

And the deeper you go into the store, the more the store begins to dig its talons into you.

From Los Angeles Times