chela

[kee-luh]

noun, plural che·lae [kee-lee] /ˈki li/.

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

Origin of chela

1640–50; < New Latin < Greek chēlḗ claw

chela

[chey-lah]

noun

(in India) a disciple of a religious teacher.

Origin of chela

1825–35; < Hindi celā; compare Pali cellaka monk, Prakrit cilla boy, student

Related formsche·la·ship, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for chela

Historical Examples of chela

The movable finger of the chela is folded across the extremity of the claw.
The Sea-beach at Ebb-tide
Augusta Foote Arnold
Chela: The pair of pincers, or claw, which terminates some of the appendages.
The Sea-beach at Ebb-tide
Augusta Foote Arnold
When the upper jaws are furnished at the end with a chela or thumb.
An Introduction to Entomology: Vol. IV (of 4)
William Kirby
Lahiri Mahasaya had appeared to instruct the chela in answer to his prayers.
Autobiography of a YOGI
Paramhansa Yogananda
And when I was faint with hunger he begged for me, as would a chela for his teacher.
Kim
Rudyard Kipling

British Dictionary definitions for chela

chela

noun plural lae (-liː)

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

Derived Formscheliferous (kɪˈlɪfərəs), adjective

Word Origin for chela

C17: New Latin, from Greek khēlē claw

chela

noun

Hinduism a disciple of a religious teacher

Derived Formschelaship, noun

Word Origin for chela

C19: from Hindi celā, from Sanskrit ceta servant, slave

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