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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for chrysalis

Chrysalis, a new line of lingerie, aims to create undergarments for transgender women.
Introducing the First Lingerie Line for Transgender Women|Claire Stern|February 5, 2013|DAILY BEAST
When the door was off, and the bright sunlight shone in, this little occupant of the chrysalis took a look at itself.
New National Fourth Reader|Charles J. Barnes and J. Marshall Hawkes
Only one got through safely to the chrysalis stage which it reached at the end of June.
The Moths of the British Isles, First Series|Richard South
Fred handled his chrysalis with respect as he laid it away with his other treasures.
Gritli's Children|Johanna Spyri

In every Italian school the butterfly breaks loose from the chrysalis.
Maxims and Reflections|Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Our cut (Fig. 28, a) also represents the pupa, or chrysalis, as seen lying in its cell.
Our Common Insects|Alpheus Spring Packard

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

Word Origin and History for chrysalis

chrysalis

c.1600, from Latin chrysallis, from Greek khrysallis (genitive khrysallidos) "golden colored pupa of the butterfly," from khrysos "gold," perhaps of Semitic origin (cf. Hebrew and Phoenician harutz "gold") + second element meaning something like "sheath." Seeking a plural, OED leans toward the classically correct chrysalides.

Science 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.