Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
Definition: Pupil |
PupilNoun1. A learner who is enrolled in an educational institution. 2. Contractile aperture in the iris of the eye. 3. A child attending school. Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. |
Date "pupil" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1321. (references) |
| Domain | Definition |
Medicine | The contractile, usually round aperture in the iris of the eye. Source: European Union. (references) |
Health | The aperture in the iris through which light passes. (references) |
Medicine | A variable aperture in the iris, through which the rays producing the image enter the eye. Source: European Union. (references) |
| The aperture in the iris, normally circular and contractile, through which the image-forming light enters the eye. Source: European Union. (references) | |
Tips from 1870 | Usage: Scholar, Pupil. Although these words are often used synonymously and with good authority, it would be better to limit the former to learned persons and to apply the latter to persons under instruction. Source: Slips of Speech. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
The shape of the pupil varies between species. Common shapes are circular or slit-shaped, although more convoluted shapes can be found in aquatic species. The reasons for the variation in shapes are complex; the shape is closely related to the optical characteristics of the len, the shape and sensitivity of the retina, and the visual requirements of the species.
Slit-shaped pupils are found in species which are active in a wide range of light levels. In strong light, the pupil is small, but still allows light to be cast over a large part of the retina.
The orientation of the slit may be related to the direction of motions the eye is required to notice most sensitively (so a vertical pupil would increase the sensitivity of the eyes of a small cat to the horizontal scurrying of mice).
In snakes, slit-shaped pupils are associated with venomous species, while non-venomous snakes have round pupils.
When an eye is photographed with a flash, the iris cannot close the pupil fast enough and the blood-rich retina is illuminated, resulting in the red-eye effect.
Our understanding of how the eye works is still developing. The Lund Vision Group is one of the leading groups researching vision science.
A pupil is also a student.
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Pupil."
Synonyms: PupilSynonyms: educatee (n), schoolchild (n), student (n). (additional references) |
| Context | Synonyms within Context (source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus). |
Learner | Noun: learner, scholar, student, pupil; apprentice, prentice, journeyman; articled clerk; beginner, tyro, amateur, rank amateur; abecedarian, alphabetarian; alumnus, eleve. |
Teacher | Professor, lecturer, reader, prelector, prolocutor, preacher; chalk talker, khoja; pastor; (clergy); schoolmaster, dominie, usher, pedagogue, abecedarian; schoolmistress, dame, monitor, pupil teacher. |
| Source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus. | |
| Domain | Usage | |
Screenplays | There is a saying, a very old saying: when the pupil is ready the master will appear. (The Mask of Zorro; writing credit: Johnston McCulley; Ted Elliott) You were a very apt pupil too, weren't you? (Vertigo; writing credit: Pierre Boileau; Thomas Narcejac) | |
Lyrics | You're the pupil I'm the teacher (Brand New Day; performing artist: Sting) | |
Movie/TV Titles | Pest Pupil (1957) The New Pupil (1940) On the Pupil of His Eye (1912) Master and Pupil (1912) The Conjuror's Pupil (1906) | |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | ||
| Domain | Title | ||
Books |
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Theater & Movies | |||
Music |
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Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |||
| Thumbnail | Description & Credit | Thumbnail | Description & Credit |
 | Before and after the pupil is dilated. Credit: National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health. |  | James Currie, M.D. F.R.S. / Engraved by R. H. Cromek, late pupil of F. Bartolozzi. Credit: National Library of Medicine. |
 | Teacher with pupil. Credit: Library of Congress. |  | An apt pupil. Credit: Library of Congress. |
 | Ssuyungpatv, a fourth-grade primary school pupil in Olunchun Autonomous Banner in Inner Mongolia, answers his teacher's question. Credit: Library of Congress. |  | The Jovial company / A. Brouner, pinxt. ; J. Williams, sculpt., pupil to W.W. Ryland. Credit: Library of Congress. |
 | Pupil in rural school. Williams County, North Dakota. Credit: Library of Congress. |  | Pupil in school. Williams County, North Dakota. Credit: Library of Congress. |
 | Girl of Portuguese descent who is pupil in San Leandro, California's grade school. Credit: Library of Congress. |  | Stroudsburg Hobby Group, Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania. Teacher and pupil. Credit: Library of Congress. |
Source: pictures compiled by the editor from various references; see picture credits. | |||
| Author | Quotation |
Author Unknown | The highest function of the teacher consists not so much in imparting knowledge as in stimulating the pupil in its love and pursuit. |
Dante | Art, as far as it has the ability, follows nature, as a pupil imitates his master, so that art must be, as it were, a descendant of God. |
Diogenes of Sinope | Why not whip the teacher when the pupil misbehaves? |
Horace Mann | A teacher who is attempting to teach without inspiring the pupil with a desire to learn is hammering on a cold iron. |
| The teacher who is attempting to teach without inspiring the pupil with a desire to learn is hammering on cold steel. | |
Oliver Wendell Holmes | The mind of a bigot is like the pupil of the eye; the more light you pour on it, the more it will contract. |
Ralph Waldo Emerson | In every man there is something wherein I may learn of him, and in that I am his pupil. |
Thomas Fuller | Today is yesterday's pupil. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | |
| Author | Date | Quotation |
John Locke | 1690 | But after that, the father and son are equally free as much as tutor and pupil after nonage; equally subjects of the same law together, without any dominion left in the father over the life, liberty, or estate of his son, whether they be only in the state and under the law of nature, or under the positive laws of an established government. (Second Treatise of Government) |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| Title | Author | Quote |
Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency | Douglas Adams | |
Les Miserables | Hugo, Victor | The reader was a large pupil, selected for the week. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| Subject | Topic | Quote |
Health | Eye movement, eye reflexes, and pupil reaction. (references) | |
When you enter the hospital or clinic, you will be given eye drops to dilate the pupil. (references) | ||
To do this, your eye care professional places drops into the eye to dilate (widen) the pupil. (references) | ||
Children | Philippines | The Asian Development Bank has expressed concern over a growing inequity in educational opportunities for the poor as public spending per pupil declines. (references) |
Civil Liberties | Uzbekistan | On April 9, a Tashkent court convicted former Imam Abdulvakhid Yuldashev, a former pupil of Imam Nazarov along with 12 other defendants. (references) |
Economic History | Syria | Zeno of Sidon founded the Epicurean school; Cicero was a pupil of Antiochus of Ascalon at Athens; and the writings of Posidonius of Apamea influenced Livy and Plutarch. (references) |
Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits. | ||
| "Pupil" is generally used as a noun (singular) -- approximately 98.21% of the time. "Pupil" is used about 2,122 times out of a sample of 100 million words spoken or written in English. Its rank is based on over 700,000 words used in the English language. Some parts-of-speech are not covered due to the samples used by the British National Corpus. (note: percents less than one-hundredth of one percent have been omitted) |
| Parts of Speech | Percent | Usage per 100 Million Words | Rank in English |
| Noun (singular) | 98.21% | 2,084 | 4,165 |
| Noun (proper) | 1.22% | 26 | 68,323 |
| Lexical Verb (base form) | 0.38% | 8 | 124,375 |
| Lexical Verb (infinitive) | 0.09% | 2 | 245,945 |
| Noun (common) | 0.09% | 2 | 245,945 |
| Total | 100.00% | 2,122 | N/A |
Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits.
Expressions using "pupil": amaurotic cat's eye blindness of one eye due to various intraocular conditions in which a bright reflection is observed at the pupil as it would appear from the tapetum lucidum of a cat ♦ apt pupil ♦ Barré pupil sign ♦ Bumke pupil ♦ Bumke's pupil ♦ contraction of the pupil ♦ day pupil ♦ dilation of the pupil ♦ excellent pupil ♦ exit pupil ♦ fellow pupil ♦ fixed pupil ♦ pinned pupil ♦ primary school pupil ♦ private pupil ♦ Pupil Disorders ♦ pupil midwife ♦ pupil nurse ♦ pupil of the eye ♦ pupil of upper secondary school ♦ pupil power ♦ pupil teacher ♦ remove a pupil from school ♦ secondary school pupil ♦ Tonic Pupil. Additional references. | |
| Hyphenated Usage | |
Beginning with "pupil": pupil-based, pupil-centred, pupil-created, pupil-dilation, pupil-driven, pupil-elected, pupil-events, pupil-expectation, pupil-friendly, pupil-initiated, pupil-led, pupil-less, pupil-managed, pupil-master, pupil-masters, pupil-operated, pupil-product, pupil-profiling, pupil-pupil, pupil-teacher, pupil-teachers, pupil-teaching, pupil-writer. | |
Ending with "pupil": ex-pupil, teacher-pupil. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| The following statistics estimate the number of searches per day across the major English-language search engines as identified by various trade publications. Hyperlinks lead to commercial use of the expression at Amazon.com. |
| Language | Translations for "pupil"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Albanian | nxënës (apprentice, boy, disciple, follower, learner, Prentice, schoolboy, student), bebja e syrit, bebe (apple of the eye, baby), bebëz. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Arabic | مريد تلميذ, تلميذ (learner, school boy, schoolboy, student), القاصر (minor), بؤبؤ العين. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Bulgarian | ученик (disciple, scholar, schoolboy, student), гледец, зеница (apple of the eye), питомец (graduate). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Chinese | 学" (student). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Czech | žák (disciple, schoolboy, student). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Danish | pupil. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Dutch | pupil. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Esperanto | zorgato, lernejano (scholar). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Farsi | مردمک چشم (Apple, Pearl), حدقه (Orbit, Socket), شاگرد (Apprentice, Disciple, Mate, Protege, Student, Votary), دانش اموز (Grader, Student). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Finnish | pupilli, mustuainen. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
French | pupille. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
German | Pupille, Schüler (disciple, disciples, follower, pupils, scholar, schoolboy, schoolboys, sophomore, student). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Greek | κόρη οφθαλμού (apple). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Hebrew | תלמי" (disciple, scholar, student), ח יך (apprentice, educand, neophyte, student, trainee, tyro, ward), "ר"ק (begginer, child, novice, tyro). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Hungarian | tanuló (learner, prentice, scholar), szembogár (black of the eye), pupilla (black of the eye), diák (academic, oxford man, student). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Indonesian | murid (disciple), didikan (education, upbringing), cantrik (disciple). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Italian | allievo (cadet, learner, scholar, sophomore, student), scolaro (scholar, schoolboy, schoolchild), pupilla, pupillo. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Japanese Kanji | 門人 (follower, student), 門弟 (disciple, follower), 門下" (disciple, follower), 瞳" (pupillary), 瞳子 , 瞳 , 眸子 (eye), "' , 弟弟子 (new disciple), 弟々子 (new disciple), 弟子 (adherent, apprentice, disciple, follower, teacher's student-helper, young person), 学童 (school child). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Japanese Katakana | おとうとでし (new disciple), がくどう (school child), ひとみ (one's person, the human body), ぼうし (a certain publication, cap worn by masked dancer, certain person, check, dead child, eye, hat, looking aside, looking from the side, one's late elder sister, prevention, spinning, spun cotton, unnamed person), どう"う (accompanying, attitude, copper ore, movement, pupillary, same school, similar tastes, tendency, travelling together, trend), どうし (a person of high morals, a Taoist, companion, comrade, fellow, he, kindred soul, officiating monk, same city, same magazine, same mind, same person, she, the said person, the same newspaper, treating alike, verb), でし (adherent, apprentice, disciple, follower, teacher's student-helper, young person), せいと (adherent, disciple, expedition, star, the path of life, the world), も"かせい (disciple, follower), も"じ" (follower, student), も"てい (disciple, follower), ていし (abeyance, adherent, apprentice, ban, cessation, deadlock, disciple, exhibition, follower, interruption, ladder, low-interest funds, stairs, stalemate, standstill, stoppage, suspension, teacher's student-helper, young person). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Korean | 눈동자. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Manx | ynseydagh (cadet, didactic, disciple, instructive, learner, scholar), scoillar (academic, man of learning), doltey (adopt, adopted child, cadet, foster, initiate, initiation, protege, ward). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Pig Latin | upilpay pupila. (various references) pupilã (eyeball), elev (collegian, disciple, follower, learner, novice, schoolboy, student, tyro), discipol (disciple, follower, scholar), şcolar (scholar, scholastic, school, schoolboy, student). (various references) ученик (apprentice, day pupil, day-boy, disciple, school leaver, schoolboy), воспитанница (alumna, alumnae), воспитанник (alumni, alumnus, foster-child), малолетний (juv juvenile). (various references) zenica, učenik (apprentice, disciple, learner, schoolboy, student), učenički, đak, đački (dormitory, pupilary). (various references) pupila, pupilo (boarder, ward), alumno (disciple, junior, nurseling, scholar, schoolboy, schoolchild, sophomore, student). (various references) pupill (apple of the eye), lärjunge (apprentice, disciple, scholar), elev (apprentice, junior, learner, probationer, scholar, scholastic, the alumni, trainee). (various references) นักเรียน, ลูกตา"ำ. (various references) vesayet altındaki çocuk (ward), stajyer (intern, internal, probationer, student, trainee), gözbebeği (apple of eye, apple of the eye, blue boy, dearest, orb, pupilar, pupilary, pupilla, pupillar, pupillary), öğrenci öğretmen, öğrenci (disciple, learner, pupilar, pupilary, pupillar, pupillary, scholar, schoolboy, schoolgirl, student), çırak (apprentice, errand boy, footboy, helper, legman). (various references) okuwзy. (various references) учень (apprentice, colleger, learner, novice, schoolboy), малоліток, послідовник (acolyte, adherent, disciple, follower, sectary, son). (various references) học trò (learner). (various references) disgybl (disciple). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Language | Period | Translations |
| Sumerian | 3100 BCE-2500 BCE | 1. dun, 2. bulug. (various references) |
| Latin | 500 BCE-Modern | auditor, auditorem, auditores, auditorium, discipuli, discipulis, discipulo, discipulorum, discipulos, discipulum, discipulus. (various references) |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
Derivations | |
Words beginning with "pupil": pupilage, pupilages, pupilar, pupilary, pupillage, pupillages, pupillary, pupils. (additional references) | |
Words containing "pupil": interpupillary. (additional references) | |
| |
"Pupil" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: papill, Papio, peopil, Pepel, pipic, Pipil, pipip, popall, popalub, Popel, popelo, Poppel, popul, ppel, pubol, Pucill, puile, puki, puliv, pumila, pumilio, pumilum, pupid, pupilo, puppi, Pupu, puril, pvuii. (additional references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references). | |
| # of Phoneme Matches | Pronunciation | Word(s) rhyming with "pupil" (pronounced pyuw"pul) |
| 4 | -uw" p u l | quadruple, scruple. |
| 3 | -p u l | ample, Appel, apple, archetypal, businesspeople, carpal, chapel, congresspeople, couple, craftspeople, cripple, crumple, decouple, dimple, disciple, episcopal, example, fipple, gospel, grapple, hopple, laypeople, maple, metacarpal, multiple, municipal, newspeople, nipple, oedipal, opal, papal, people, pimple, pineapple, Popple, principal, principle, purple, quintuple, ripple, rumple, salespeople, sample, scalpel, Semple, simple, spokespeople, staple, steeple, subprincipal, supple, temple, tipple, topple, townspeople, trample, triple, uncouple. |
Source: compiled by the editor (additional references); see credits. | ||
Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams | |
| Words within the letters "i-l-p-p-u" | |
-1 letter: puli, pulp. | |
-2 letters: lip, pip, piu, pul, pup. | |
-3 letters: li, pi, up. | |
| Words containing the letters "i-l-p-p-u" | |
+1 letter: pileup, pulpit, pupils, slipup, uppile. | |
+2 letters: pileups, pipeful, pulpier, pulpily, pulping, pulpits, pupilar, slipups, uppiled, uppiles. | |
+3 letters: applique, pipefuls, plumiped, plumping, plumpish, populism, populist, pulpiest, pulpital, pumplike, puparial, pupilage, pupilary, purpling, purplish, supplied, supplier, supplies, suppling, uppiling, uppishly. | |
+4 letters: appliqued, appliques, dipperful, plumipeds, populisms, populists, preputial, pulpiness, pupilages, pupillage, pupillary, puppylike, suppliant, suppliers, supplying, unclipped, unhappily, upleaping. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark. All intellectual property rights in and to the game are owned in the U.S.A and Canada by Hasbro Inc., and throughout the rest of the world by J.W. Spear & Sons Limited of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, a subsidiary of Mattel Inc. Mattel and Spear are not affiliated with Hasbro. | |
| 1. Definition 2. Synonyms 3. Crosswords 4. Usage: Modern | 5. Usage: Commercial 6. Images: Slideshow 7. Images: Photo Album 8. Quotations: Familiar | 9. Quotations: Historic 10. Quotations: Fiction 11. Quotations: Non-fiction 12. Usage Frequency | 13. Expressions 14. Expressions: Internet 15. Translations: Modern 16. Translations: Ancient | 17. Derivations 18. Rhymes 19. Anagrams 20. Bibliography |
Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
