Pupa
/ˈpjuː.pə/noun
The inactive, transforming stage of an insect between larva and adult.
Did you know?Latin *pupa* meant “doll” or “little girl,” and the insect stage got its name because the enclosed form looked like a tiny, childlike figure before metamorphosis.
Etymological Timeline
Latin
Latin
pupa
“a doll; a little girl”
Late Latin
Latin
pūpa
“the resting, enclosed form of an insect”
17th Century
English
pupa
“the inactive stage of an insect between larva and adult”
Modern English
English
pupa
“the developmental stage during which an insect undergoes metamorphosis”