Emily Dickinson Lexicon

TA'LUS, n. [L. talus, the ankle.]

1. In anatomy, the astragalus, or that bone of the foot which is articulated to the leg.
2. In architecture, a slope; the inclination of any work.
3. In fortification, the slope of a work, as a bastion, rampart or parapet. Cyc.
4. In geology, a sloping heap of broken rocks and stones, at the foot of any cliff.