talon

noun

tal·​on ˈta-lən 

1

a

: the claw of an animal and especially of a bird of prey

b

: a finger or hand of a human being

2

: a part or object shaped like or suggestive of a heel or claw: such as

a

: an ogee molding

b

: the shoulder of the bolt of a lock on which the key acts to shoot the bolt

3

a

: cards laid aside in a pile in solitaire

b

: stock sense 5c

taloned

ˈta-lənd 

adjective

Examples of talon in a Sentence

The hawk gripped the mouse in its talons.

Recent Examples on the Web

Moon Knight: Reduced the Hand of Khonshu talons falling speed. —Tom Rogers, Newsweek, 21 Feb. 2025

Bald eagles lock talons in bizarre trail encounter. —Rebecca Morin, USA TODAY, 13 Feb. 2025

The San Bernardino County Rural Task Force then executed a search warrant on the property and found steel talons and about two dozen firearms. —Summer Lin, Los Angeles Times, 21 Jan. 2025

While her base nails were bare, the tips were extended into super long and sharp talons made to look like falling water droplets. —Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 30 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English taloun heel, hind claw of a bird of prey, from Anglo-French talun, from Vulgar Latin *talon-, *talo, from Latin talus ankle, anklebone

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for talon

• alan
• ballon
• gallon
• concanavalin
• enkephalin
• trifluralin

Kids Definition

talon

noun

tal·​on ˈtal-ən 

: the claw of an animal and especially of a bird of prey

Medical Definition

talon

noun

tal·​on ˈtal-ən 

: the crushing region of the crown of an upper molar