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Intermediate Dictionary
       

pu·pa

pupa

 
pronunciation:
pyu p
features:
Word Combinations (noun), Word Explorer
part of speech: noun
inflections: pupae, pupas
definition: an insect in a middle stage of its development, after it is a larva. Pupas do not eat or move; they are changing into their adult form. Many kinds of insects, including butterflies, spend their time as a pupa inside a cocoon.
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derivation: pupal (adj.)
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See
  arthropod, insect