pupil

1 of 2

noun (1)

pu·pil ˈpyü-pəl

Synonyms of pupil next

: a child or young person in school or in the charge of a tutor or instructor : student

: one who has been taught or influenced by a famous or distinguished person

pupil

2 of 2

noun (2)

: the contractile aperture in the iris of the eye

pupillary

ˈpyü-pə-ˌler-ē

adjective

Examples of pupil in a Sentence

Noun (1) generally there are 20 pupils in each class to pupils of the philosopher Henry David Thoreau, the shores of Walden Pond are hallowed ground

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Noun

Those schools were, according to former pupils, hotbeds of cruelty and child abuse — an independent investigation in 2005 found evidence of criminal assault at the boys’ school in the 1970s and ’80s — as well as highly traditionalist values. —

Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 8 Nov. 2024 Gere, 75, plays a fictional documentary filmmaker named Leonard Fife, who sits down for a final interview with one of his former pupils (Imperioli) to tell his life story. —

Charlotte Phillipp, People.com, 6 Oct. 2024 Flashback: The pupils, who were studying to be teachers and were all from impoverished backgrounds, were last seen in police vehicles the night of Sept. 26, 2014, outside the state capital of Guerrero. —

Marina E. Franco (noticias Telemundo For Axios), Axios, 26 Sep. 2024 In his absence, this new Kenneth had risen up: Kenneth Copeland is now the figurehead of the Word of Faith movement, a millionaire prophet with pinprick pupils and visions of blood. —

Laura Bullard, Vox, 20 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for pupil

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

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

Noun (2)

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

Noun (1)

1536, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of pupil was in the 15th century

See more words from the same century

Cite this Entry

Style

“Pupil.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pupil. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

pupil

1 of 2 noun

pu·pil ˈpyü-pəl

: a child or young person in school or in the care of a tutor or teacher

: one who has been taught or influenced by a person of fame : disciple

pupil

2 of 2 noun

: the usually round opening in the iris that contracts and expands to control the amount of light entering the eye

Etymology

Noun

Middle English pupille "a child under the care of a guardian," from early French pupille (same meaning), from Latin pupillus "a boy under the care of a guardian" and pupilla "a girl under the care of a guardian"; pupillus derived from pupus "boy"; pupilla derived from pupa "girl, doll" — related to pupil entry 2

Noun

derived from Latin pupilla "pupil of the eye, girl under the care of a guardian," literally, "little doll," derived from pupa "doll, girl"; so called because the tiny image of oneself seen in another's eye is like a tiny doll

Word Origin

If you look into another person's eye, you can see a small reflection of yourself. That small image made the ancient Romans think of a doll. Thus, they called the part of the eye in which it appears the pupilla. This word literally meant "little doll." The English word for that part of the eye, pupil, can be traced to the Latin pupilla. Pupilla also had another meaning. A little girl who was an orphan and was in the care of a guardian was called a pupilla. A little boy in the same situation was called a pupillus. From these two Latin words we get the other English pupil, meaning "a young student in the care of a tutor or in school."

Medical Definition

pupil

noun

pu·pil ˈpyü-pəl

: the contractile usually round aperture in the iris of the eye

Last Updated: 12 Nov 2024 - Updated example sentences

Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.

Can you solve 4 words at once?

Word of the Day

paroxysm

See Definitions and Examples »

Get Word of the Day daily email!

pupil

noun (1)

noun (2)

Synonyms

Examples of pupil in a Sentence

Word History

Dictionary Entries Near pupil

Cite this Entry

Kids Definition

Medical Definition