Etymology Explorer › English

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

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

Ancestry of “talon”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishtaloun—
2Old Frenchtalonheel
3Medieval Latintalonemaccusative singular of tālō
4Vulgar Latintalonisgenitive singular of tālō
5Latintālus—
6Proto-Italictākslos—
7Proto-Indo-Europeantéh₂g-s-los—
8Proto-Indo-Europeanteh₂g-touch; to touch, to take hold of

Words derived from “talon”

  • taloned
  • talonlike
  • talonless
  • untaloned
Every word from Proto-Indo-European teh₂g- →