chela

1
[ kee-luh ]

noun,plural che·lae [kee-lee]. /ˈki li/.
  1. the pincerlike organ or claw terminating certain limbs of crustaceans and arachnids.

Origin of chela

1
1640–50; <New Latin <Greek chēlḗ claw

Words Nearby chela

Other definitions for chela (2 of 2)

chela2
[ chey-lah ]

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

Origin of chela

2
1825–35; <Hindi celā; compare Pali cellaka monk, Prakrit cilla boy, student

Other words from chela

  • che·la·ship, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use chela in a sentence

  • I have now no chela, but I will take the alms-bowl and thus enable the charitable to acquire merit.'

    Kim | Rudyard Kipling
  • Lamas I know, and to these I give reverence, but thou art no more a lawful chela than this my finger is the pole of this waggon.

    Kim | Rudyard Kipling
  • The lama would give him no help, but, as a conscientious chela, Kim was delighted to beg for two.

    Kim | Rudyard Kipling
  • Rich would be the reward of such a master and such a chela when the time came for them to seek freedom together!

    Kim | Rudyard Kipling
  • Let the chela study the troubles that come from over-eating—bloated stomach and burning bowels.

    Kim | Rudyard Kipling

British Dictionary definitions for chela (1 of 2)

chela1

/ (ˈkiːlə) /


nounplural lae (-liː)
  1. a large pincer-like claw of such arthropods as the crab and scorpion

Origin of chela

1
C17: New Latin, from Greek khēlē claw

Derived forms of chela

  • cheliferous (kɪˈlɪfərəs), adjective

British Dictionary definitions for chela (2 of 2)

chela2

/ (ˈtʃeɪlə) /


noun
  1. Hinduism a disciple of a religious teacher

Origin of chela

2
C19: from Hindi celā, from Sanskrit ceta servant, slave

Derived forms of chela

  • chelaship, noun

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