chrysalis Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun pupa of a moth or butterfly enclosed in a cocoon

WordNet

Chrys"a*lis noun
Etymology
L. chrysallis the gold-colored pupa of butterflies, Gr. , fr. gold. Cf. Aurelia.
Wordforms
plural Chrysalides
Definitions
  1. (Zoöl.) The pupa state of certain insects, esp. of butterflies, from which the perfect insect emerges. See Pupa, and Aurelia (a).

Webster 1913