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 of pupil

Noun (1)

• student
• scholar

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

Noun

Past attempts to teach people to spot AI faces have focused on training viewers to look for visual glitches or statistical fingerprints left behind by a particular image generator, such as a wonky ear or an eye with two pupils. — Sam MacDonald, Scientific American, 29 June 2026

The Inquiry into White Working Class Educational Outcomes, found that in 2025, just 36% of white British pupils on free school meals achieve a Grade 4 or above in English and Maths GCSE, compared with 72% of non-free school meal pupils. — Will Barker, TheWeek, 29 June 2026

Its automatic mode finds the eyes and yields well-delineated, jet-black pupils. — Michael Muchmore, PC Magazine, 29 June 2026

Missing out on that revenue could prompt the district to make notable cuts, given district expenses are continuing to rise, as reduced enrollment is affecting per-pupil funding and as the district has seen a decrease in federal funding, according to the district. — Sofi Zeman june 27, Kansas City Star, 27 June 2026

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

Rhymes for pupil

• duple
• pupal
• scruple
• quadruple

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