Tal″on (?), n. [F., heel, spur, LL. talo, fr. L. talus the ankle, heel.] 1. The claw of a predaceous bird or animal, especially the claw of a bird of prey. Bacon.
2. (Zoöl.) One of certain small prominences on the hind part of the face of an elephant's tooth.
3. (Arch.) A kind of molding, concave at the bottom and convex at the top; — usually called 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. Knight.