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ta·lus¹

(tāləs)

n. pl. ta·li (-lī′)

1. The bone of the ankle that articulates with the tibia and fibula to form the ankle joint. Also called anklebone, astragalus.

2. The ankle.

[Latin tālus, ankle.]

ta·lus²

(tāləs)

n. pl. ta·lus·es

A sloping mass of rock debris at the base of a cliff.

[French talus, from Old French talu, sloping side of an earthwork, from Latin talūtium, gold-bearing outcrop, perhaps of Celtic origin.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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