Chela

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈkilə/

Definitions

1. A claw-like structure in crustaceans and some arachnids serves purposes such as grasping prey and providing defense mechanisms
2. Referring to a specialized limb in certain marine and terrestrial invertebrates, this term identifies a pincer-like appendage used for manipulation and feeding
3. A claw or pincer found on crustaceans and arachnids used to hold food or protect themselves

Etymology: The claw of a lobster or crab and the word "chela" share a root with a Hindi word for a disciple. In ancient Greek, "khēlē" meant a claw, or the pincer of a crab or scorpion, and it was this sense that Latin took up as "chele". The modern scientific term for the pincered limb of crustaceans and arachnids descends from that Latin form, so zoologists were reaching back to classical vocabulary for a body part that Greek writers had already named. The word's English form in the sense of a pincer is the zoological borrowing from Latin, not the Hindi one. The two come from separate sources that happen to look alike, and the Hindi "celā", meaning a disciple or pupil, is an unrelated word that English did not take from the claw sense. Readers meeting the terms side by side are dealing with a false friend rather than a shared history.

Synonyms: claw