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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
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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.
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