Meaning

A sharp, hooked claw of a bird of prey or other predatory animal..

Definitions by Sense

1. A sharp, hooked claw of a bird of prey or other predatory animal.
2. (zoology) One of certain small prominences on the hind part of the face of an elephant's tooth.
3. (architecture) A kind of moulding, concave at the bottom and convex at the top; an ogee. (When the concave part is at the top, it is called an inverted talon.)
4. The shoulder of the bolt of a lock on which the key acts to shoot the bolt.
5. (card games) The remaining stock of undealt cards.
6. (finance, historical) A document that could be detached and presented in exchange for a block of further coupons on a bond, when the original block had been used up.

Example Sentences

and now doth gaſtly death With greedie talients gripe my bleeding hart, And like a Harpye tires on my life.

It may be tried also whether birds may not have something done to them when they are young , whereby they may be made to have greater or longer bills , or greater and longer talons ?

The locks were constructed with two or three levers, and sometimes with a common tumbler. The talon is the secret; for after locking the bolt out, the key is turned round again quietly to catch the nib and force the talon up

Word Forms

• talons

Synonyms for talon

Related Words

When Should You Use Talon?

Use talon when its meaning, tone and grammar fit the full sentence. A synonym is not always a direct replacement.

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