chelicerate

noun

che·​lic·​er·​ate kə-ˈli-sə-ˌrāt 

-rət

plural chelicerates

: an arthropod of the subphylum Chelicerata having the first pair of appendages modified into chelicerae

Arthropods constitute the largest phylum by far, with major subgroups of insects, chelicerates (spiders, mites, scorpions, and horseshoe crabs), and crustaceans …

—Stephen Jay Gould, Natural History, January 1995

chelicerate adjective

the chelicerate nervous system

chelicerate arthropods

Together, these marine and terrestrial orders are called the chelicerate orders based on the structure of their mouthparts, in contrast to the orders to which insects and crustaceans belong.

—Rosemary G. Gillepsie and Joseph C. Spagna, in Encylopedia of Insects, 2003

Word History

Etymology

after New Latin Chelicerata chelicerata

First Known Use

1951, in the meaning defined above

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