Dictionary.com

chrysalis

[ kris-uh-lis ]
/ ˈkrɪs ə lɪs /
Save This Word!

noun, plural chrys·a·lis·es, chry·sal·i·des [kri-sal-i-deez]. /krɪˈsæl ɪˌdiz/.
the hard-shelled pupa of a moth or butterfly; an obtect pupa.
QUIZ
THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?
Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.
Question 1 of 7
In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

Origin of chrysalis

1650–60; <Latin chrȳsalis<Greek chrȳsallís, equivalent to chrȳs-chrys- + -allis suffix, probably with diminutive value
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use chrysalis in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for chrysalis

chrysalis
/ (ˈkrɪsəlɪs) /

noun plural chrysalises or chrysalides (krɪˈsælɪˌdiːz)
the obtect pupa of a moth or butterfly
anything in the process of developing

Word Origin for chrysalis

C17: from Latin chrӯsallis, from Greek khrusallis, from khrusos gold, of Semitic origin; compare Hebrew harūz gold
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for chrysalis

chrysalis
[ krĭsə-lĭs ]

The pupa of certain kinds of insects, especially of moths and butterflies, that is inactive and enclosed in a firm case or cocoon from which the adult eventually emerges.
The case or cocoon of a chrysalis.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
FEEDBACK