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Definition of "pupa" [pu•pa]

  • The nonfeeding stage between the larva and adult in the metamorphosis of holometabolous insects, during which the larva typically undergoes complete transformation within a protective cocoon or hardened case. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "pupa" in a sentence
  • "This time it forms a stiff, white cover and is called a pupa (PYOO-puh)."
  • "This time it forms a stiff, white cover and is called a pupa PYOO-puh."
  • "The pupa of the gnat [10] also has 'respiratory trumpets' serving the same purpose, but these are a pair of processes on the prothorax, so that the pupa, which is fairly active, hangs from the surface-film with its abdomen pointing downwards through the water."