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pupa

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The definition of a pupa is the cocoon stage an insect goes through after the larval form and before the final form of the adult.

(noun)

An example of a pupa is a caterpillar being enclosed in a cocoon.

See pupa in Webster's New World College Dictionary

noun pl. pupae or pupas

an insect in the nonfeeding stage of development between the last larval and adult forms, characterized by many anatomical changes and, often, by enclosure in a cell or cocoon

Origin: ModL: so named by Carolus Linnaeus < L, girl, doll, prob. < IE *pup- < base *pu-, to swell up, inflate

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pupal adjective

See pupa in American Heritage Dictionary 4

noun pl. pu·pae (-pē) or pu·pas

The nonfeeding stage between the larva and adult in the metamorphosis of holometabolous insects, during which the larva typically undergoes complete transformation within a protective cocoon or hardened case.

Origin:

Origin: Latin pūpa, girl, doll

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