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Glite Dictionary
🧑‍🎓 A student 🦞 A claw
chela

chela

9.9
A claw at the end of a limb on animals like crabs or lobsters that holds food
  • noun
  • /ˈkiːlə/
  • Specialized
translation icon : pinza
  • The crab's chela was remarkably strong.
  • a major chela

Examples

  • The crab used its chela to grasp and break open the shell.

  • A lobster’s large chela is used both for defense and for hunting prey.

  • Some scorpions have developed specialized chelae for capturing their food.

  • Lobsters use their chelae to catch prey.

  • The crab's chela was large and strong, allowing it to catch prey easily.

  • Fiddler crabs display a prominent chela that they wave to attract mates.

  • Each lobster has a powerful chela on one side, making it formidable in defense.

Synonyms

claw
vschela
24 2.9

A pincer on the front leg of a crab or lobster for holding and cutting

is an anatomical form at limb ends in certain crustaceans like crabs and lobsters
pincer
vschela
4 6.7

A claw on animals like crabs and lobsters used to hold things or fight

is at the end of a limb in crustaceans like crabs and lobsters
nipper
vschela
1 8.9

A claw on animals like crabs and lobsters that holds or crushes food

marks an anatomical structure at limb ends in crustaceans such as crabs

Surface Forms

chela singular
chelae plural

Etymology

Chela for a pincer comes from the Greek word chele, which means 'claw'. So a chela is the claw or pincer at the end of a crab or scorpion limb.