Pupil

Pronunciation

• IPA: /pjuːpÉ™l/
• Rhymes: -uːpÉ™l

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

Full definition of pupil

Noun

1. (legal, obsolete) An orphan who is a minor and under the protection of the state.
2. (student)A student under the supervision of a teacher or professor.
• 1668 December 19, James Dalrymple, 1st Viscount of Stair, “Mr. Alexander Seaton contra Menzies” in The DeciÅ¿ions of the Lords of Council & SeÅ¿Å¿ion I (Edinburgh, 1683), page 575The Pupil after his Pupillarity, had granted a DiÅ¿charge to one of the Co-tutors, which did extinguiÅ¿h the whole Debt of that Co-tutor, and conÅ¿equently of all the reÅ¿t, they being all correi debendi, lyable by one individual Obligation, which cannot be DiÅ¿charged as to one, and Å¿tand as to all the reÅ¿t.
• 2013-07-19, Peter Wilby, Finland spreads word on schools, 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.

Related terms

• student

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

1. (anatomy) The hole in the middle of the iris of the eye, through which light passes to be focused on the retina.Why did your pupils dilate when you saw me topless? Do you like me or something?

Derived terms

• pupilar
• pupilary
• pupillary