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chela

1 American  
[kee-luh] / ˈki lə /

noun

chelae plural
  1. the pincerlike organ or claw terminating certain limbs of crustaceans and arachnids.


chela 2 American  
[chey-lah] / ˈtʃeɪ lɑ /

noun

  1. (in India) a disciple of a religious teacher.


chela 1 British  
/ kɪˈlɪfərəs, ˈkiːlə /

noun

  1. a large pincer-like claw of such arthropods as the crab and scorpion

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

chela 2 British  
/ ˈtʃeɪlə /

noun

  1. Hinduism a disciple of a religious teacher

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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

In the first case, that of co-ordination, the ancient Wisdom admonishes the student or chela to “make the mind one pointed, like a light burning in a quiet place.”

From The New Avatar and The Destiny of the Soul The Findings of Natural Science Reduced to Practical Studies in Psychology by Buck, J. D. (Jirah Dewey)

As chela to Teshoo Lama, Kim acquired merit.

From Roosevelt in the Bad Lands by Hagedorn, Hermann

Lahiri Mahasaya had appeared to instruct the chela in answer to his prayers.

From Autobiography of a Yogi by Yogananda, Paramahansa

"The Blissful Mother travels widely in India; in many parts she has hundreds of disciples," the chela told me.

From Autobiography of a Yogi by Yogananda, Paramahansa

Researchers believe the oversized chelae on its front legs were likely used to seize and hold small insect prey as it hunted through the ancient coastal environment.

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 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

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

In the higher Decapoda the male is generally larger than the female and has stronger chelae.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 7, Slice 7 "Crocoite" to "Cuba" by Various

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