pupa

pu·pa

This image shows the process in which a caterpillar forms into a pupa.

pupa top: of a mourning cloak butterfly;

noun

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.

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

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"pupa." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 17 April 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/PUPA>.

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pupa. (n.d.). Retrieved April 17th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/PUPA

pupa

noun

pl. -·pae or -·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

Origin of pupa

ModL: so named by Linnaeus from L, girl, doll, probably from Indo-European an unverified form pup- from base an unverified form pu-, to swell up, inflate

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"pupa." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 17 April 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/PUPA>.

APA Style

pupa. (n.d.). Retrieved April 17th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/PUPA

pupa

noun

pl. pu·pae, or pu·pas

An insect in the nonfeeding stage between the larva and adult, during which it typically undergoes complete transformation within a protective cocoon or hardened case. Only insects that undergo complete metamorphosis have pupal stages.

Origin of pupa

Latin pūpa girl, doll

Related Forms:

pu′pal
adjective

pupa

ladybug pupa

THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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MLA Style

"pupa." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 17 April 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/PUPA>.

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pupa. (n.d.). Retrieved April 17th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/PUPA

Plural pupae (pyˌ◌pē)

An insect in the nonfeeding stage of development between the larva and adult, during which it typically undergoes a complete transformation within a protective cocoon or hardened case. Only certain kinds of insects, such as moths, butterflies, ants, and beetles, develop as larvae and pupae.

Compare imago

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MLA Style

"pupa." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 17 April 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/PUPA>.

APA Style

pupa. (n.d.). Retrieved April 17th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/PUPA

Noun

(plural pupas or pupae or pupÃ¦)

an insect in its development stage between a larva and an adult.

Origin

From New Latin, from a special use of Latin pupa.

Proper noun

Pupa f

A taxonomic genus within the family Acteonidae.

Origin

From Latin pupa (“doll, little girl")

English Wiktionary. Available under CC-BY-SA license.

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MLA Style

"pupa." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 17 April 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/PUPA>.

APA Style

pupa. (n.d.). Retrieved April 17th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/PUPA

pupa - Medical Definition

n.

pl. pupae (-pē) or pupas

An insect in the nonfeeding stage between the larva and adult, during which it typically undergoes complete transformation within a protective cocoon or hardened case. Only insects that undergo complete metamorphosis have pupal stages.

Related Forms: