pupa Hear it!

pupa definition

pupa (pyo̵̅o̅′pə)

noun pl. pupae -·pae (-pē) or pupas -·pas

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

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

Related Forms:

  • pupal pu′·pal adjective

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Comments
Improve this definition.
Do you have more to add? Share your linguistic knowledge or observation.
/Register to save your comments.