noun

chrysalis

KRIH-suh-lihs

noun

The hard protective case a caterpillar forms around itself while it transforms into a butterfly.

"The caterpillar hung motionless inside its chrysalis for two weeks."

A stage of sheltered transformation or growth, used figuratively.

"College became a kind of chrysalis where she found her real voice as a writer."

How to Use Chrysalis

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishThe protective shell a caterpillar makes while turning into a butterfly, or a period of quiet transformation.

Common mistake

A chrysalis is specifically the butterfly pupa case; a cocoon (silk-spun) is the moth equivalent — the two are often used interchangeably but technically differ.

Easily confused with

cocoon →

Word Forms

chrysalised past tense, chrysalises plural, chrysalides plural, chrysalisses plural, chrysalises singular

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The caterpillar hung motionless inside its _____ for two weeks.

Etymology

From Latin chrysalis, from Greek khrusallís, related to khrusós (\"gold\") — likely a reference to the golden sheen of some species' pupal cases.

Rhymes for chrysalis

digitalis

See all rhymes for chrysalis →