This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
chrysalis
[ kris-uh-lis ]
/ ˈkrɪs ə lɪs /
Save This Word!
This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
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
Words nearby chrysalis
chronotropic, chronotype, -chroous, chrys-, chrysalid, chrysalis, chrysanthemum, chrysarobin, chryselephantine, Chryse Planitia, Chrysippus
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
[ 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.