talus1

[tey-luh s] /ˈteɪ ləs/
noun, plural tali
[tey-lahy] /ˈteɪ laɪ/ (Show IPA). Anatomy
1.
the uppermost bone of the proximal row of bones of the tarsus; anklebone.
Origin
1685-95; < Latin tālus ankle, anklebone, die. See tassel

talus2

[tey-luh s, tal-uh s] /ˈteɪ ləs, ˈtæl əs/
noun, plural taluses.
1.
a slope.
2.
Geology. a sloping mass of rocky fragments at the base of a cliff.
3.
Fortification. the slope of the face of a work.
Origin
1635-45; < French: pseudo-learned alteration of Old French talu slope < Latin talūtium gold-bearing slope or talus (Vulgar Latin: slope), perhaps of Iberian origin
Examples from the web for talus
  • Mudstones and siltstones are typically covered by vegetation and/or talus.
  • Raw talus slopes turn into forests, and lightning-sparked blazes recycle the forests into pink swaths of fireweed.
  • On a talus slope below it the team sets up a trap for army cutworm moths, strong fliers with abdomens the size of jelly beans.
  • Some of the talus curtains might occur in quick flash floods.
  • The original samples were loose, weathered fragments from the talus slope below.
  • talus slopes might become buried and the talus cemented in a similar manner.
British Dictionary definitions for talus

talus1

/ˈteɪləs/
noun (pl) -li (-laɪ)
1.
the bone of the ankle that articulates with the leg bones to form the ankle joint Nontechnical name anklebone
Word Origin
C18: from Latin: ankle

talus2

/ˈteɪləs/
noun (pl) -luses
1.
(geology) another name for scree
2.
(fortifications) the sloping side of a wall
Word Origin
C17: from French, from Latin talūtium slope, perhaps of Iberian origin
Word Origin and History for talus
n.

"anklebone," 1690s, from Latin talus "ankle, anklebone, knucklebone" (plural tali), related to Latin taxillus "a small die, cube" (they originally were made from the knucklebones of animals).

"slope," 1640s, from French talus (16c.), from Old French talu "slope" (12c.), probably from Gallo-Romance *talutum, from Latin talutium "a slope or outcrop of rock debris," possibly of Celtic origin (cf. Breton tal "forehead, brow").

OED, however, suggests derivation from root of talus (1) in the sense of "heel" which developed in its Romanic descendants. Mainly used of military earthwork at first; meaning "sloping mass of rocky fragments that has fallen from a cliff" is first recorded 1830.

talus in Medicine

talus ta·lus (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.

ta'ler (-lər) adj.
talus in Science
talus 1
  (tā'ləs)   
Plural tali (tā'lī')
The bone of the ankle that articulates with the tibia and fibula to form the ankle joint.
talus 2
  (tā'ləs)   
Plural taluses
Rock fragments that have accumulated at the base of a cliff or slope. ◇ The concave slope formed by such an accumulation of rock fragments is called a talus slope.