chela
1 Americannoun
-
chelae
plural
noun
noun
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of chela1
1640–50; < New Latin < Greek chēlḗ claw
Origin of chela2
1825–35; < Hindi celā; compare Pali cellaka monk, Prakrit cilla boy, student
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The drink's name represents maybe the world's best contraction, combining "chela," a slang term for beer; "ada" from "helada," meaning cold; and "mi" for mine — a.k.a "my cold beer."
From Salon ● Jul. 4, 2022
One day a certain chela, convinced that his worth was not being duly evaluated, gave voice to his discontent.
From Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda
Moreover, my chela, I think that may be we have overpassed that River.'
From Kim by Rudyard Kipling
The chela pointed to a broad-shouldered, fine-featured man with long hair and hoary beard.
From Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda
A young Afghan, who was a pupil of mine and a Muhammadan student in the school, begged to be allowed to accompany me as a chela, or disciple.
From Among the Wild Tribes of the Afghan Frontier A Record of Sixteen Years' Close Intercourse with the Natives of the Indian Marches by T. L. (Theodore Leighton) Pennell
These appendages, known as chelae, function much like forceps and are extremely uncommon among insects.
From Science Daily ● May 25, 2026
The scientists also carried out a large morphological comparison involving more than 2,000 chelae and similar grasping appendages from both living and extinct species.
From Science Daily ● May 25, 2026
"The name seemed fitting because the posture of the fossil's chelae strongly resembles the group's trademark pose. Stray Kids, I should add, is the favorite band of one of the paper's authors, Fenja Haug."
From Science Daily ● May 25, 2026
"Previously, such chelae were known from only three insect groups. This fossil therefore represents the fourth known case of these structures evolving independently in insects," explains Privatdozent Carolin Haug, zoologist at LMU's Faculty of Biology.
From Science Daily ● May 25, 2026
The head climbed to the shoulders and settled itself inside the leather collar that now hid its chelae and legs.
From The Chessmen of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.