chelicera
[ kuh-lis-er-uh ]
noun,plural che·lic·er·ae [kuh-lis-uh-ree]. /kəˈlɪs əˌri/.
one member of the first pair of usually pincerlike appendages of spiders and other arachnids.
Origin of chelicera
11825–35; <New Latin, equivalent to cheli-cheli- + Greek kér(as) horn + Latin -a feminine noun ending
Other words from chelicera
- che·lic·er·al, adjective
- che·lic·er·ate [kuh-lis-uh-reyt, -er-it], /kəˈlɪs əˌreɪt, -ər ɪt/, adjective
- Compare pedipalp.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use chelicera in a sentence
When the scorpion has paralysed its prey in this way, the two short chelicerae are brought into play (fig. 53).
British Dictionary definitions for chelicera
chelicera
/ (kɪˈlɪsərə) /
nounplural -erae (-əˌriː)
one of a pair of appendages on the head of spiders and other arachnids: often modified as food-catching claws
Origin of chelicera
1C19: from New Latin, from French chélicère, from chél- see chela 1 + -cère from Greek keras horn
Derived forms of chelicera
- cheliceral, adjective
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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