# pupil

Pronunciation: say "PYOO-puhl" /ˈpjuːpəl/

## Noun

1. The opening in the middle of the iris through which light passes to reach the retina.
   - Simple: The dark, round opening in the center of the eye that lets light in.
   - _Her pupils widened as she stepped from the bright hall into the dark room._
   - _The optometrist measured how quickly each pupil contracted under the lamp._
2. A learner at a school, taught and supervised by a teacher.
   - Simple: A child who studies at a school with a teacher in charge.
   - _Each pupil was expected to wear the school uniform._
   - _The teacher praised her pupils for their progress this term._
3. A person who studies under the personal guidance of a renowned expert in a field.
   - Simple: Someone who learns a skill or subject directly from a great expert.
   - _The composer's most gifted pupil went on to write symphonies of her own._
   - _Many of the surgeon's former pupils now lead hospitals around the world._
4. The dark central area of an eyespot: a round, eye-like marking on an animal's body.
   - Simple: The dark center of an eye-shaped spot on an animal, like on a feather.
   - _The moth's wing spots each show a pale pupil ringed with brown._
   - _Zoologists noted the deep blue pupils at the center of the fish's markings._

## Noun

5. An orphaned minor placed under the protection and care of the state. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: A child without parents who is cared for and protected by the state.
   - _The magistrate declared the orphaned child a pupil of the crown._
   - _Guardians were appointed to manage the property of the city's pupils._

## Origin

**Meanings 2–3, 5** — From Middle English pupille, from Anglo-Norman pupille ("orphan"), from Latin pūpillus ("orphan, minor"), a variant of pūpulus ("little boy"), from pūpus ("child, boy").
**Meanings 1, 4** — From Middle English pupille, from Old French pupille, from Latin pūpilla ("pupil; little girl, doll"), so named because of the small reflected image seen when looking into someone's eye.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/pupil (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).