talus

¹

[ tey-luhs ]

noun

, Anatomy.

, plural ta·li [tey, -lahy].

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

talus

²

[ tey-luhs, tal-uhs ]

noun

, plural ta·lus·es.

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

/ ˈteɪləs /

noun

1. the bone of the ankle that articulates with the leg bones to form the ankle joint Nontechnical nameanklebone

talus

²

/ ˈteɪləs /

noun

1. geology another name for scree
2. fortifications the sloping side of a wall

talus

¹

/ 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

/ tā′ləs /

, Plural tali tā′lī′

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

Word History and Origins

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of talus¹

C18: from Latin: ankle

Origin of talus²

C17: from French, from Latin talūtium slope, perhaps of Iberian origin

Example Sentences

Woods disclosed the surgery on Twitter and said it was a subtalar fusion procedure to address post-traumatic arthritis from when he broke his talus bone in February 2021.

From Seattle Times

The talus is the second-largest of a group of bones known as the tarsus, which forms the lower part of the ankle joint and transmits the weight of the body from the lower leg to the foot.

From Seattle Times

The talus is the second-largest of a group of bones known as the tarsus, which forms the lower part of the ankle joint and transmits the weight of the body from the lower leg to the foot.

From Washington Times

Woods disclosed the surgery on Twitter and said it was a subtalar fusion procedure to address post-traumatic arthritis from when he broke his talus bone in February 2021.

From Washington Times

The first four days featured very limited access points and the entire route required the “North Cascades’ finest bushwhacking,” glacier travel, snowfields, scree, boulder and talus fields, and scrambling.

From Seattle Times

Related Words

• bluff
• cliff
• dune
• highland
• hillside
• hilltop
• ridge
• slope