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

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

Vilnius’s 14 Soviet-era Russian-language schools now educate about 11,500 pupils — a 20 percent increase over the last three years — a concerning trend, officials say, in a nation that has long centered its national identity on Lithuanian language. —Tomas Dapkus, New York Times, 3 Apr. 2024

In another room, Jane Joseph, one of his pupils, worked on a different part of the score. —Hugh Morris, New York Times, 29 Mar. 2024

Sacramento County Office of Education Voters had the chance to consider two seats on the Sacramento County Office of Education, the board that oversees the county’s 14 school districts and its 260,000 pupils. —Ishani Desai, Sacramento Bee, 6 Mar. 2024

In 1875, the Rawsonville School Board dedicated $1,000 to building a brick schoolhouse at the site of the frame building that had been servicing more than 100 pupils. —Detroit Free Press, 4 Mar. 2024

One of Dawson’s pupils was 7-year-old Ahmad Jamal, who would go on to become an award-winning jazz composer and musician. —Michael J. Solender, Smithsonian Magazine, 23 Feb. 2024

Political party: Democratic Party Experience: Worked as an L.A. Unified pupil services and attendance counselor from 2006 to 2021; elected to the Huntington Park City Council in 2015. —Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, 1 Feb. 2024

Some rapidly shrink and expand their pupils; some flutter their wings rhythmically, and others strut about with an especially attractive item in their beaks. —Cody Cottier, Discover Magazine, 13 Mar. 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