Zool. In 7 chely. Pl. chelæ. [ad. L. chēlē or its orig. Gr. χηλή crab’s claw.] A term for the prehensile claws of crabs and lobsters; also, of scorpions.
1646. Sir T. Browne, Pseud. Ep., III. v. It happeneth often … that a Lobster hath the chely or great claw of one side longer then the other.
1664. Power, Exp. Philos., I. 14. She [the Field Spider] had before, two claws … just like a Crab’s claws, with two black tips, like the Chely’s in Crabs.
1870. Rolleston, Anim. Life, 93. The chela of the Scorpion.
1871. Darwin, Desc. Man, I. ix. 330. In the higher crustaceans the anterior legs form a pair of chelæ or pincers.
