pupil

• IPA^(key): /ˈpjuːpəl/
• Hyphenation: pu‧pil

• Audio (GA)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -uːpəl
• Homophone: pupal

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

pupil (plural pupils)

1. (dated outside UK) A learner at a school under the supervision of a teacher.
   • 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. One who studies under supervision of a renowned expert in their field.

   Plato was Socrates' pupil, and in turn Aristotle was Plato's pupil.

3. (law, obsolete) An orphan who is a minor and under the protection of the state.

• A pupil is typically a young person, such as a schoolchild. Older learners, e.g. at university, are generally called students.

• learnling

The pupil is a hole in the iris of the eye which adjusts in size dynamically.

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

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.
   • 1983, Richard Ellis, The Book of Sharks, Knopf, →ISBN, page 29:

     There are sharks with round pupils, sharks with slitlike pupils, and some with pupils that expand and contract with the amount of light available. As unimpressive as this might sound to people who are used to having their pupils dilate and contract regularly, realize that no bony fish has this modification of the eye.

2. (zoology) The central dark part of an ocellated spot.

• Pupil in the Encyclopædia Britannica (11th edition, 1911)

• pipul

Borrowed from Latin pūpillus. Doublet of pubill.

• IPA^(key): (Central, Balearic, Valencian) [puˈpil]

pupil m (plural pupils, feminine pupil·la)

1. orphan

   Synonym: orfe

• “pupil” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
• “pupil”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2024
• “pupil” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “pupil” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

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

• IPA^(key): /pupil/, [pʰuˈpʰilˀ]

pupil c (singular definite pupillen, plural indefinite pupiller)

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

• “pupil” in Den Danske Ordbog

• IPA^(key): /pyˈpɪl/
• Hyphenation: pu‧pil
• Rhymes: -ɪl

From Middle Dutch pupille, from Old French pupille, from Latin pūpilla.

pupil f (plural pupillen, diminutive pupilletje n)

1. pupil (aperture of the eye)

   Synonym: oogappel

Borrowed from Middle French pupille, from Latin pūpillus.

pupil m (plural pupillen, diminutive pupilletje n)

1. (chiefly sports) minor, generally a prepubescent child over the age of 5
2. favoured student, protégé
3. institutionalised pupil (one who receives an upbringing or education in an institution)
4. (archaic) orphan

   Synonym: wees

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

• (Johor-Selangor) IPA^(key): /pupel/
• (Riau-Lingga) IPA^(key): /pupɪl/
• Rhymes: -upel, -pel, -el

pupil (Jawi spelling ڤوڤيل, plural pupil-pupil, informal 1st possessive pupilku, 2nd possessive pupilmu, 3rd possessive pupilnya)

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

• anak mata / انق مات

Borrowed from French pupille, from Latin pūpilla.

• IPA^(key): /ˈpu.pil/

• Audio

  (file)

• Rhymes: -upil
• Syllabification: pu‧pil

pupil m pers (female equivalent pupilka, diminutive pupilek)

1. favorite son, favored student, protégé, teacher's pet
2. (archaic, education) pupil (learner)

• pupil in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• pupil in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Borrowed from French pupille, from Latin pupillus.

pupil m (plural pupili)

1. pupil