chela

3 definitions found

chela - Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 :

  Chela \Che"la\, n.; pl. Chel[ae]. [NL., fr. Gr. chhlh` claw.]
     (Zool.)
     The pincherlike claw of Crustacea and Arachnida.
     [1913 Webster]

  Chela \Che"la\, n. [Hind. ch[=e]la, orig., slave, fr. Skr.
     c[=e][.t]a, c[=e][.t]aka, slave, servant.]
     In India, a dependent person occupying a position between
     that of a servant or slave and a disciple; hence, a disciple
     or novice. -- Che"la*ship, n.
     [Webster 1913 Suppl.]

chela - WordNet (r) 2.1 (2005) :

  chela
      n 1: a Hindu disciple of a swami
      2: a grasping structure on the limb of a crustacean or other
         arthropods [syn: claw, chela, nipper, pincer]