noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun

1. 1
   Either of the prehensile claws found on the proboscis of chelicerates (horseshoe crabs, sea spiders and arachnids).
2. 2
   either of the first pair of fang-like appendages near the mouth of an arachnid; often modified for grasping and piercing wordnet

Etymology

From New Latin chēlicera, from Ancient Greek χηλή (khēlḗ, “jawbone”) + κέρας (kéras, “horn”).

Related phrases

horseshoe crabsea spider

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.