Either of the pair of fang-like appendages on the head of spiders, scorpions, and related arachnids, used to inject venom or grip prey.
From Greek 'chele' (claw) combined with 'keras' (horn), literally 'claw-horn.' Coined in the 1800s for arachnid anatomy by naturalists studying spider and scorpion mouthparts.
When a spider bites you, it's actually those chelicerae doing the work—they're not exactly teeth but modified claws that have evolved into venom-delivery syringes, making spiders some of evolution's greatest engineers!
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