chrysalis
[ kris-uh-lis ]
/ ˈkrɪs ə lɪs /
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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.
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Origin of chrysalis
1650–60; <Latin chrȳsalis<Greek chrȳsallís, equivalent to chrȳs-chrys- + -allis suffix, probably with diminutive value
Words nearby chrysalis
chronotropic, chronotropism, -chroous, chrys-, chrysalid, chrysalis, chrysanthemum, chrysarobin, chryselephantine, Chryse Planitia, chrysiasis
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
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
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Scientific definitions for chrysalis
chrysalis
[ krĭs′ə-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.