chela

Etymology 1

From Latin chele, from Ancient Greek χηλή (khēlḗ).

noun

1. A pincer-like claw of a crustacean or arachnid. [from 17th c.]
   The tail is curved up over the body and the pedipalps held forwards with the tip of the movable finger of the chela in contact with the sand. 1993, The Encyclopedia of Land Invertebrate Behaviour, page 232
   The two brushes on each chela snap open into semicircular fans, forming fine-mesh baskets that passively filter water. 2004, Raymond T. Bauer, Remarkable Shrimps: Adaptations and Natural History of the Carideans, page 26

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Hindi चेला (celā).

noun

1. A pupil or disciple, especially in Hinduism. [from 19th c.]
   In fact, Gilgamesh's instructions are still-valid directions from the guru to the chela. 1981, William Irwin Thompson, The Time Falling Bodies Take to Light: Mythology, Sexuality and the Origins of Culture, London: Rider/Hutchinson & Co., page 184
   The guru had insight. He understood his chela. The relationship between a guru and his chela was as a father to a son, as a whole person to a whole person, individual and unique. 1987, Phirozshah Dorabji Mehta, The Heart of Religion, page 36
   The guru-chela relationship was a theme in many of Nicholas's paintings. In Pearl of Searching, the guru is looking thoughtfully at a pearl necklace with his chela. This symbolizes the "pearl of great price" that gives purpose to life. 2002, Warrior of Light: The Life of Nicholas Roerich: Artist, Himalayan Explorer, and Visionary, page 52
   This, of course, is done by the guru as the result of a long process in which his consciousness must merge with that of the chela and wherein the chela is absorbed essentially into the guru. 2007, Michael Bertiaux, The Voudon Gnostic Workbook: Expanded Edition, page 455