CHRYSALIS - 8 definitions found
chrysalis n 1: pupa of a moth or butterfly enclosed in a cocoon Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, 11th Edition (2003) chrysalis noun (plural chrysalides or chrysalises) Etymology: Latin chrysallid-, chrysallis gold-colored pupa of butterflies, from Greek, from chrysos gold, of Semitic origin; akin to Hebrew ḥārūṣ gold Date: 1601 1. a. a pupa of a butterfly; broadly an insect pupa b. the enclosing case or covering of a pupa 2. a protecting covering ; a sheltered state or stage of being or growth <a budding writer could not emerge from his chrysalis too soon — William Du Bois> Oxford English Reference Dictionary
Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner\'s English Dictionary chrysalis (chrysalises) 1. A chrysalis is a butterfly or moth in the stage between being a larva and an adult. N-COUNT 2. A chrysalis is the hard, protective covering that a chrysalis has. ...a butterfly emerging from its chrysalis. N-COUNT English Explanatory Dictionary chrysalis ˈkrɪsəlɪs n. (pl. chrysalises or chrysalides) 1 a a quiescent pupa of a butterfly or moth. b the hard outer case enclosing it. 2 a preparatory or transitional state. [L f. Gk khrusallis -idos f. khrusos gold] Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) Chrysalis \Chrys"a*lis\, n.; pl. Chrysalides. [L. chrysallis the gold-colored pupa of butterflies, Gr. ?, fr. ? gold. Cf. Aurelia.] (Zo["o]l.) The pupa state of certain insects, esp. of butterflies, from which the perfect insect emerges. See Pupa, and Aurelia (a) . Soule\'s Dictionary of English Synonyms chrysalis n. Pupa, aurelia, nympha. |
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