pupil

1 of 2

noun (1)

pu·​pil ˈpyü-pəl 

1

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

2

: 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

Synonyms

Noun (1)

• scholar
• student

Examples of pupil in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Tucked among these diplomatic affairs are tender flashbacks of Berezovsky with his old math professor (a sharp Ronald Guttman), who worried that his pupil’s insatiable desire for more might lead to his ruin. —Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 23 Apr. 2024

Viral video shows the teen, donning a black sweatshirt, approach the leader who is behind a pupil and attack him. —USA TODAY, 16 Apr. 2024

Three 12-year-old children were shot at a school outside Finland's capital on Tuesday and one of the victims later died, police said, with a 12-year-old fellow pupil suspected of the attack taken into custody. —Reuters, NBC News, 2 Apr. 2024

In one version of the picture, the woman’s pupils are missing, as if to indicate the unspeakable is unseeable as well. —Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 29 Mar. 2024

On a recent Wednesday, Mr. Howard’s second pupil of the day was Zahra Ghausi, 18, whose road test was scheduled for the following week. —Miriam Jordan, New York Times, 16 Mar. 2024

Eyes and light While the pupils of our eyes naturally constrict to limit bright light, and our eyes have pigments to absorb light, direct sunlight overwhelms these functions. —Geoffrey Bradford, The Conversation, 12 Mar. 2024

But per pupil spending would be $23,519, thanks to the requirements of the state’s Proposition 98. —Jenavieve Hatch, Sacramento Bee, 6 Mar. 2024

Florida spends less per pupil on public education than most other states. —Daniel De Visé, USA TODAY, 11 Apr. 2024

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

Kids Definition

pupil

1 of 2 noun

pu·​pil ˈpyü-pəl 

1

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

2

: 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