chela

¹ American  

[kee-luh] / ˈki lə /

noun

plural

chelae

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

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chela ² American  

[chey-lah] / ˈtʃeɪ lɑ /

noun

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

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chela ¹ British  

/ kɪˈlɪfərəs, ˈkiːlə /

noun

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

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chela ² British  

/ ˈtʃeɪlə /

noun

1. Hinduism a disciple of a religious teacher

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Other Word Forms

• chelaship
  noun
• cheliferous
  adjective

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

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

Take heed, chela, lest he run away when he smells his Hills again. . . .

From Kim by Kipling, Rudyard

In thus condoning and even endorsing immorality of the vilest description, she denied one of the strictest occult laws binding upon a chela.

From H. P. Blavatsky A Great Betrayal by Cleather, Alice Leighton

But that is all a matter of taste and ideals—the faculty for the "practical life" of the West is possessed by the chela, if he saw fit to use it.

From A Series of Lessons in Raja Yoga by Atkinson, William Walker

I suppose a chela may be hanged as well as any other man.

From The Mystery of Cloomber by Doyle, Arthur Conan, Sir