pupa

[pyoo-puh]

noun, plural pu·pae [pyoo-pee] /ˈpyu pi/, pu·pas.

an insect in the nonfeeding, usually immobile, transformation stage between the larva and the imago.

Origin of pupa

1765–70; < New Latin, special use of Latin pūpa girl, doll, puppet. See pupil¹, puppet

Related formspu·pal, adjective

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

Examples from the Web for pupae

Historical Examples of pupae

These are the chrysalids or pupae of the insect and later from them will come the millers.
An Elementary Study of Insects
Leonard Haseman
Though they are not quite so numerous, there are also plenty of pupae.
Bramble-bees and Others
J. Henri Fabre
Larvae are very scarce; pupae abound, as do perfect insects.
Bramble-bees and Others
J. Henri Fabre
I have gathered a number of pupae of the flesh fly in one of my vermin jars.
The Life of the Fly
J. Henri Fabre
How is the parasite's inroad into the flesh fly's pupae effected?
The Life of the Fly
J. Henri Fabre

British Dictionary definitions for pupae

pupa

noun plural -pae (-piː) or -pas

an insect at the immobile nonfeeding stage of development between larva and adult, when many internal changes occurSee coarctate, exarate, obtect

Derived Formspupal, adjective

Word Origin for pupa

C19: via New Latin, from Latin: a doll, puppet

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 pupae

pupa

"post-larval stage of an insect," 1773, special use by Linnæus (1758) of Latin pupa "girl, doll, puppet" (see pupil (n.1)) on notion of "undeveloped creature." Related: Pupal; pupiform.

pupae in Science

pupa

[pyōō′pə]

Plural pupae (pyōō′pē)

An insect in the nonfeeding stage of development between the larva and adult, during which it typically undergoes a complete transformation within a protective cocoon or hardened case. Only certain kinds of insects, such as moths, butterflies, ants, and beetles, develop as larvae and pupae. Compare imago larva nymph.