Where does “talon” come from?
Talon comes from Middle English taloun, from Old French talon, from Latin talonis, from Latin talus meaning ankle bone, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European teh₂g-.
talon (English): A sharp, hooked claw of a bird of prey or other...
Definitions
- A sharp, hooked claw of a bird of prey or other...
Ancestry of “talon”, step by step
talon traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English taloun
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | taloun | A talon; a hooked claw |
| 2 | Old French | talon | heel |
| 3 | Medieval Latin | talonem | accusative singular of tālō |
| 4 | Vulgar Latin | talonis | genitive singular of tālō |
| 5 | Latin | tālus | the ankle or anklebone (of animals), talus; knucklebone |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | tākslos | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | téh₂g-s-los | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | teh₂g- | touch; to touch, to take hold of |
via Middle English talon
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | talon | — |