chrysalis

noun chrys·a·lis \ ˈkri-sə-ləs \

|Updated on: 3 Jul 2018

plural chrysalides play \kri-ˈsa-lə-ˌdēz\ or chrysalises

1 a : a pupa of a butterfly; broadly : an insect pupa

b : the hardened outer protective layer of a pupa

2 : a protecting covering : a sheltered state or stage of being or growth

a budding writer could not emerge from his chrysalis too soon
—William Du Bois

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Recent Examples of chrysalis from the Web

The chrysalis slowly faded from a jade green to clear, revealing orange wings.

— larell scardelli, Good Housekeeping, "How To Raise Monarch Butterflies—And Why You'd Want To," 8 Sep. 2017
Instead, transfer them to carrot-family weeds such as Queen Anne’s lace, and watch for chrysalises to form, and later, beautiful butterflies!

— the editors of organic life, Good Housekeeping, "Everything You Need To Know To Grow Beautiful Carrots," 30 Aug. 2017
The filmmakers use micro-filming to get an up-close view of the life of a butterfly from egg to caterpillar to chrysalis to the emergence of the mature butterfly.

— david wiegand, San Francisco Chronicle, "What’s on TV, April 4: ‘MLK’ honored, ‘National Treasure’ back on Hulu," 4 Apr. 2018
Nearly every track invokes some kind of natural wonder; the northern lights, a butterfly emerging from its chrysalis, flowers growing from concrete and blooming in shadows, a rainbow beaming above.

— maeve mcdermott, USA TODAY, "Kacey Musgraves' 'Golden Hour' may be 2018's best album yet," 29 Mar. 2018
But not much later, even in the stifling silence of my news chrysalis, the doubts began to penetrate.

— vann r. newkirk ii, The Atlantic, "Unplugging From the Internet Nearly Destroyed Me," 14 Mar. 2018
Fairchild also has a butterfly conservatory, housed in the Paul and Swanee DiMare Science Village, which includes a metamorphosis laboratory where visitors can watch butterflies emerge from their chrysalises.

— New York Times, "6 Great Gardens to Visit in Florida," 16 Feb. 2018
That emotional chrysalis has a lot to do with her personal life.

— justine harman, Glamour, "Meet Skylar Grey, the Singer-Songwriter Behind That Tear-Jerking Budweiser Super Bowl Commercial," 4 Feb. 2018
The entire cocoon, or chrysalis, will then be veiled in a shroud of clear balloons with a hint of iridescence.

— lisa deaderick, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Top weekend events: Martin Luther King Jr. parade, 'Crystal Cortex,' Karl Denson's Tiny Universe," 12 Jan. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'chrysalis.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Illustration of chrysalis

Origin and Etymology of chrysalis

Latin chrysallid-, chrysallis gold-colored pupa of butterflies, from Greek, from chrysos gold, of Semitic origin; akin to Hebrew ḥārūṣ gold

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1601

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

Other Insect Terms

drone, entomology, gadfly, pismire, proboscis, vespine

CHRYSALIS Defined for English Language Learners

chrysalis

noun

: a moth or butterfly at the stage of growth when it is turning into an adult and is enclosed in a hard case
: a hard case that protects a moth or butterfly while it is turning into an adult

CHRYSALIS Defined for Kids

chrysalis

noun chrys·a·lis \ ˈkris-ə-ləs \

1 : a moth or butterfly pupa that is enclosed in a hardened protective case

2 : the hardened protective case made by and enclosing a moth or butterfly pupa

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Spanish Central: Translation of chrysalis Nglish: Translation of chrysalis for Spanish speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about chrysalis

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