talaria means the winged sandals worn by certain gods and goddesses, especially the Roman god Mercury (and his Greek counterpart Hermes). It carries an Arena rating of 1560, earned across 4 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, talaria ranks #348 of 17,104 for Most Storied Words, #1,083 of 17,142 for Most Ingenious Words, #1,498 of 17,127 for Most Vivid Words, #1,696 of 17,149 for Most Exacting Words.
talaria is pronounced /təˈlɛəɹi.ə/.
Why “talaria” is a great word
Winged sandals fastened at the ankle, worn as a divine attribute granting flight, especially by Mercury or Hermes. From Latin tālāria, neuter plural of tālāris ('of or pertaining to the ankle or heel'), from tālus ('anklebone, heel'). Unlike 'sandals'—a term for any open footwear—or 'wings'—which are the means of flight in general—talaria are the specific, enchanted instruments of celestial transit. They are the gleam of golden straps against a divine calf, the blur of motion above still water, and the hush of descent onto dew-damp earth at dawn—the gods’ means of slipping through the thin places where distance becomes an irrelevance.
Etymology
From Latin tālāria, plural form of tālāris (“of or pertaining to the ankle or heel”), from tālus (“anklebone, talus; heel”), possibly ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *teh₂g- (“to touch”).
noun
- The winged sandals worn by certain gods and goddesses, especially the Roman god Mercury (and his Greek counterpart Hermes).
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.
- pterippus 53% match — A winged horse; Pegasus. vs talaria →
- talar 49% match — Relating to the talus. vs talaria →
- tarsal 48% match — Of or relating to the tarsus. vs talaria →
- petasus 47% match — A broad-brimmed, low-crowned hat worn by the Ancient Greeks and Romans, especially for travelling, and as often pictured to be worn by Hermes (or Mercury); (later also) the brimless winged cap worn by Hermes in later artistic depictions. vs talaria →
- aliped 47% match — A wing-footed animal; a chiropter or a bat. vs talaria →
- calceus 47% match — A kind of low leather Roman boot or hightop shoe. vs talaria →
- crepida 47% match — A type of footwear consisting of a sole attached to the foot with fairly elaborate straps, distinguished by the Ancient Greeks and Ancient Romans from sandals proper but now usually considered a style of sandal. vs talaria →
- caliga 46% match — A heavy ancient Roman military sandal. vs talaria →