pupil

1 of 2

noun (1)

pu·​pil ˈpyü-pəl How to pronounce pupil (audio)
Synonyms of pupilnext
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 How to pronounce pupil (audio)
adjective

Synonyms of pupil

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Noun (1)

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Examples of pupil in a Sentence

Noun (1) generally there are 20 pupils in each class to pupils of the philosopher Henry David Thoreau, the shores of Walden Pond are hallowed ground
Recent Examples on the Web
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Noun
Its automatic mode finds the eyes and yields well-delineated, jet-black pupils. — Michael Muchmore, PC Magazine, 29 June 2026 Teacher earnings depend on how much that teacher decides to charge per pupil and the number of students who sign up. — Kathy Kristof, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 July 2026 In May, William revealed that George had spent the previous night boarding at Lambrook, where many pupils ease into boarding life before senior school. — Erin Hill, PEOPLE, 25 June 2026 His long white oval scleras and perfect-circle black pupils, sometimes open and sometimes closed, are always inexplicably expressive—managing to seem happy, sad, scared, sleepy, shifty, angry, eager, alarmed, mischievous, or murderous. — Casey Cep, New Yorker, 7 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for pupil

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)

1531, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of pupil was in the 15th century

Rhymes for pupil

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Browse Nearby Words

pupigerous
pupil
pupilage
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Pupil.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pupil. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

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Kids Definition

pupil

1 of 2 noun
pu·​pil ˈpyü-pəl How to pronounce pupil (audio)
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 How to pronounce pupil (audio)
: the contractile usually round aperture in the iris of the eye

More from Merriam-Webster on pupil

Nglish: Translation of pupil for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about pupil

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