chrysalis
- The hard-shelled pupal stage of a butterfly, enclosed in a protective case during metamorphosis.
- Figuratively, a transitional or preparatory state from which something new emerges.
In a sentence
- The children watched in wonder as a butterfly slowly broke free from its chrysalis on the classroom windowsill.
- The years abroad were a chrysalis for her — she returned home a completely transformed person.
Usage note. Strictly, a chrysalis is the pupa of a butterfly specifically, while a cocoon is the silken case spun by a moth larva; the two are often confused but refer to different structures.
Where it comes from
English chrysalis — “butterfly pupa” · entered English 17th c.
From Latin 'chrysalis', borrowed from Greek 'khrysallis', meaning the gold-colored pupa of a butterfly, derived from 'khrysos' meaning 'gold' — a reference to the often golden sheen of butterfly pupae. The Greek 'khrysos' is thought to be a borrowing from a Semitic language (cf. Hebrew 'haruz', gold). The word entered English in the 17th century.