From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishpupapu‧pa /ˈpjuːpə/ noun (plural pupae /-piː/ also pupas American English) [countable] HBIan insect at the stage before it becomes adult, when it is protected by a special cover moth pupae —pupal adjective [only before noun] the pupal stage
Examples from the Corpus
pupa• The fresh pupa, having cast off its pliable caterpillar skin, had hardened and become black-brown.• The soul pupa opens its mouth in a voiceless scream.• But now, inside the pupa, their moment has come.• Their skin splits and rolls down revealing a smooth, brown hard-shelled object, the pupa.• Determine randomly which character is nearest to the pupa, and is the one to witness the transformation.• Fourteen days is the length of the life cycle from egg to larva to pupa to adult.• Two each contained one single large, round, pill-shaped ichneumon wasp pupa.Origin pupa (1700-1800) Modern Latin Latin, “girl, doll” 