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
What impresses me most in your narrative is the obstinate strength of will shown by yourself and your chela in your methodical abstentions and exercises.
From The Letters of William James, Vol. II by William James
They are usually accompanied by a youthful disciple, called a "chela," a boy of from 10 to 15 years of age, who will become a fakir himself unless something occurs to change his career.
From Modern India by William Eleroy Curtis
Certain things cannot be revealed until the chela, or pupil, is ready.
From Dorothy's Mystical Adventures in Oz by Robert J. Evans
The property of an unmarried Bairāgi descends to a selected chela or disciple.
From The Tribes and Castes of the Central Provinces of India Volume II by R. V. (Robert Vane) Russell
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
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
"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
Here," and he raised one of his chelae to his head, "is the perfect brain.
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.
