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talus

1 American  
[tey-luhs] / ˈteɪ ləs /

noun

Anatomy.

plural

tali

  1. the uppermost bone of the proximal row of bones of the tarsus; anklebone.

talus 2 American  
[tey-luhs, tal-uhs] / ˈteɪ ləs, ˈtæl əs /

noun

plural

taluses

  1. a slope.

  2. Geology. a sloping mass of rocky fragments at the base of a cliff.

  3. Fortification. the slope of the face of a work.

talus 1 British  
/ ˈteɪləs /

noun

  1. geology another name for scree

  2. fortifications the sloping side of a wall

"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
talus 2 British  
/ ˈteɪləs /

noun

  1. Nontechnical name: anklebone.  the bone of the ankle that articulates with the leg bones to form the ankle joint

"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
talus 1 Scientific  
/ tā′ləs /

plural

taluses

  1. Rock fragments that have accumulated at the base of a cliff or slope.

  2. ◆ The concave slope formed by such an accumulation of rock fragments is called a talus slope.

talus 2 Scientific  
/ tā′ləs /

plural

tali

  1. The bone of the ankle that articulates with the tibia and fibula to form the ankle joint.

Etymology

Origin of talus1

First recorded in 1685–95, talus is from the Latin word tālus ankle, anklebone, die. See tassel

Origin of talus2

1635–45; < French: pseudo-learned alteration of Old French talu slope < Latin talūtium gold-bearing slope or talus ( Vulgar Latin: slope), perhaps of Iberian origin

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.

Thumbnail: Talus cones produced by mass wasting, north shore of Isfjord, Svalbard, Norway.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2017

One of them is Michael Venerable, the co-founder of Talus, a DC-area data warehousing company sold in 1998, and a managing consultant to Palo Alto-based Sagent Technologies.

From Inc • May 20, 2013

Why the 6-pound Talus 23 doesn�t cost over $200 is a mystery.

From Time Magazine Archive

She told them that Talus lived there, the last man left of the ancient bronze race, a creature made all of bronze except one ankle where alone he was vulnerable.

From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton

There he lies yet; and whoever desires to enrich himself by means of brass had better go thither with a diving-bell, and fish up Talus.

From A Wonder Book and Tanglewood Tales For girls and boys by Hawthorne, Nathaniel

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

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.