First Known Use: 1536
Dictionary
1pupil
noun pu·pil \ˈpyü-pəl\
Definition of PUPIL
1
: a child or young person in school or in the charge of a tutor or instructor : student
2
: one who has been taught or influenced by a famous or distinguished person
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Origin of PUPIL
Middle English pupille minor ward, from Anglo-French, from Latin pupillus male ward (from diminutive of pupus boy) & pupilla female ward, from diminutive of pupa girl, doll
Other Education Terms
2pupil
noun
Definition of PUPIL
: the contractile aperture in the iris of the eye
— pu·pil·lary \ˈpyü-pə-ˌler-ē\ adjective
Origin of PUPIL
Middle French pupille, from Latin pupilla, from diminutive of pupa doll; from the tiny image of oneself seen reflected in another's eye
First Known Use: 1567
Other Anatomy Terms
PUPIL Defined for Kids
1pupil
noun pu·pil \ˈpyü-pəl\
Definition of PUPIL for Kids
: a child in school or under the care of a teacher
2pupil
noun
Definition of PUPIL for Kids
: the opening in the iris through which light enters the eye
Word History of PUPIL
If you look into another person's eyes, you see reflected within the iris a tiny image of your own face. The Romans, comparing this image of a miniature human to a doll, called the opening in the iris that seems to hold the image pupilla, which is derived from pupa, meaning “doll.” This Latin word, by way of medieval French pupille, was borrowed into English as pupil.
Medical Dictionary
pupil
noun pu·pil \ˈpyü-pəl\
Medical Definition of PUPIL
: the contractile usually round aperture in the iris of the eye
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