What does chrysalis mean?
A chrysalis is the protective outer case that encloses a butterfly or moth during the pupal stage of its life cycle, when the caterpillar's body dissolves and reorganizes into an adult insect. The term comes from the Greek 'chrysos', meaning gold, because many pupae display a metallic golden sheen. Strictly applied to butterflies and moths, whose pupae form this hardened casing without silk, it differs from a cocoon, which certain moth larvae spin around themselves. Beyond entomology, chrysalis is widely used as a metaphor for any period of hidden growth or transformation, as when someone emerges from a difficult experience changed and renewed. This figurative sense lends the word a hopeful, literary tone. Both plural forms are accepted.
The hardened pupal case of a butterfly or moth, within which the insect undergoes metamorphosis from larva to adult.
"Each spring, the students collected milkweed leaves hoping to spot a monarch chrysalis among them."
Applied strictly to Lepidoptera; other insects form a pupa but not a true chrysalis.
A state of seclusion or protection in which a person or thing undergoes significant change or development before emerging transformed.
"The small studio became her chrysalis, where she developed the style that would later define her career."
Both 'chrysalises' and the Latinate 'chrysalides' are accepted plurals; 'chrysalises' is more common in everyday English, while 'chrysalides' appears mainly in scientific contexts.
"Several empty chrysalises clung to the underside of the branch after the butterflies had emerged."
The word 'chrysalis' comes from the Greek for gold — because many butterflies' pupae actually gleam with a golden shimmer.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of chrysalis
Chrysalis entered English in the early seventeenth century, borrowed from Latin 'chrysallis', which itself derives from Greek 'khrusallis' (χρυσαλλίς), meaning the golden pupa of a butterfly. The Greek word relates to 'khrusos', meaning gold, referring to the metallic sheen of many pupae. It shares this root with words such as 'chrysanthemum' (golden flower) and 'chryselephantine'.
Related word forms
How chrysalis is actually used
Strictly speaking, only butterflies and moths have a chrysalis; other insects form a pupa but not this hardened casing. The word carries strong positive connotations of growth and renewal, making it popular in literary and motivational writing. Plural forms 'chrysalises' and the more technical 'chrysalides' are both accepted.
Easily confused with chrysalis
A cocoon is a silky casing spun by some larvae (especially moths), whereas a chrysalis is the hard pupal skin of a butterfly, which does not spin silk.