pupil

English

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /pjuːpəl/
  • Hyphenation: pu‧pil
  • Audio (US)(file)
  • Rhymes: -uːpəl

Etymology 1

From Anglo-Norman pupille (“orphan”), from Latin pūpillus (“orphan, minor”), variant of pūpulus (“little boy”), from pūpus (“child, boy”).

Noun

pupil (plural pupils)

  1. A learner under the supervision of a teacher or professor.
    • 1668 December 19, James Dalrymple, “Mr. Alexander Seaton contra Menzies” in The Deciſions of the Lords of Council & Seſſion I (Edinburgh, 1683), page 575
      The Pupil after his Pupillarity, had granted a Diſcharge to one of the Co-tutors, which did extinguiſh the whole Debt of that Co-tutor, and conſequently of all the reſt, they being all correi debendi, lyable by one individual Obligation, which cannot be Diſcharged as to one, and ſtand as to all the reſt.
    • 2013 July 19, Peter Wilby, “Finland spreads word on schools”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 189, number 6, page 30:
      Imagine a country where children do nothing but play until they start compulsory schooling at age seven. Then, without exception, they attend comprehensives until the age of 16. Charging school fees is illegal, and so is sorting pupils into ability groups by streaming or setting.
  2. (law, obsolete) An orphan who is a minor and under the protection of the state.
Usage notes
  • A pupil is typically a young person, such as a schoolchild. Older learners, e.g. at university, are generally called students.
Translations

Etymology 2

From Middle French pupille, from Latin pūpilla (“pupil; little girl, doll”), named because of the small reflected image seen when looking into someone's eye.

Noun

pupil (plural pupils)

  1. (anatomy) The hole in the middle of the iris of the eye, through which light passes to be focused on the retina.
  2. (zoology) The central dark part of an ocellated spot.
Derived terms
Translations

Anagrams

Danish

Etymology

From Latin pūpilla (“little girl”), diminutive of pūpa (“girl”).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /pupil/, [pʰuˈpʰilˀ]

Noun

pupil c (singular definite pupillen, plural indefinite pupiller)

  1. pupil (the hole in the middle of the iris of the eye)

Declension

References

Malay

Etymology

Borrowed from English pupil, from Middle French pupille, from Latin pūpilla (“pupil; little girl, doll”).

Pronunciation

Noun

pupil (Jawi spelling ڤوڤيل‎, plural pupil-pupil)

  1. (anatomy) pupil (the hole in the middle of the iris of the eye)

Synonyms

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