What does pupae mean?
Pupae is the plural of pupa, an insect's inactive immature stage between the larval and adult forms of its life cycle. A larva such as a caterpillar feeds and grows, then becomes a pupa, inside which its body is reorganized into the adult insect. A butterfly's pupa is commonly called a chrysalis, while the hard outer case formed by a moth's pupa is often called a cocoon. The plural pupae is used in entomology and in general descriptions of insects that undergo complete metamorphosis. It can refer collectively to individuals or to a developmental stage: a naturalist might report the number of pupae found, while a biology textbook might explain how pupae survive winter before adults emerge in spring.
plural nounThe plural of pupa: the inactive, often enclosed stage of an insect's life cycle between the larval and adult stages, as in a butterfly chrysalis.
- The immature, usually dormant stage between a larval form and the adult form of an insect, especially a butterfly, moth, or other holometabolous insect.
"The caterpillars formed pupae attached to the underside of the leaves."
"Several pupae remained in the nest until warm weather prompted the adult beetles to emerge."
"The naturalist found the pupae buried beneath the soil, where they overwintered."
Pupae is the standard plural of pupa, following the Latin plural ending -ae.
"The pupae survived the cold season and produced adult moths in early spring."
A butterfly's familiar chrysalis is a pupa: a transformed larva quietly rebuilding itself before emerging as an adult.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does pupae come from?
The word comes from Latin pupa, meaning “doll” or “little doll,” a comparison based on the enclosed, apparently inert appearance of the stage. Zoologists later applied the term to the chrysalis-like resting stage of an insect, and the plural form pupae follows regular Latin pluralization. English acquired both the scientific sense and the related forms pupal, pupate, and pupation.
Related word forms
How pupae is actually used
Pupae is the plural of pupa. The term is principally used in entomology and in descriptions of complete metamorphosis; chrysalis is more commonly used for the butterfly pupa specifically.