pupa

[ pyoo-puh ]

/ ˈpyu pə /

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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.

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Origin of pupa

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

OTHER WORDS FROM pupa

pupal, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use pupa in a sentence

The experiments of Poulton and Sanders were made with 600 pupae of Vanessa urticae, the "tortoise-shell butterfly."
Evolution in Modern Thought|Ernst Haeckel
At Oxford only the four pupae which were fastened to nettles emerged; all the rest—on bark, stones and the like—perished.
Evolution in Modern Thought|Ernst Haeckel
In the course of a month 93% of the pupae at Oxford were killed, chiefly by small birds, while at St. Helens 68% perished.
Evolution in Modern Thought|Ernst Haeckel
We shall know by watching a few pupae placed at the bottom of a test-tube filled with earth.
The Life of the Fly|J. Henri Fabre

When duly fattened, the grubs of the flesh flies go underground to transform themselves into pupae.
The Life of the Fly|J. Henri Fabre

British Dictionary definitions for pupa

pupa

/ (ˈpjuːpə) /

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 forms of pupa

pupal, 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

Scientific definitions for pupa

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.