ENGLISH
REFERENCE

pupil

n. countable
B2 Upper Intermediate Oxford US //ˈpjupəɫ// UK //pjˈuːpəl// pupil Archaic General-service

n. a student in a school, especially a child. It also means the small black circle in the center of your eye that lets light in.

n. a person, typically a child or young adolescent, who is being taught by another. Also refers to the contractile opening in the center of the iris of the eye.


SIMPLE

The teacher asked every pupil to open their books.

CONTEXTUAL

The school has over five hundred pupils enrolled this year, ranging from ages five to eleven.

COMPLEX

When you step into a dark room, your pupils dilate to allow more light to reach the retina, improving your vision in low-light conditions.

Synonyms
Etymology 1

From Middle English pupille, from Anglo-Norman pupille (“orphan”), from Latin pūpillus (“orphan, minor”), variant of pūpulus (“little boy”), from pūpus (“child, boy”).

Etymology 2

From Middle English pupille, from Old French pupille, from Latin pūpilla (“pupil; little girl, doll”), named because of the small reflected image seen when looking into someone's eye.

Usage

In the educational sense, it is more common in British English than American English, where 'student' is preferred for all ages.

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