pu ‧ pil S2 W1 /ˈpjuːp ə l/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
[ Sense 1: Date: 1300-1400 ; Language: French ; Origin: pupille , from Latin pupillus 'young boy who is looked after' , from pupus 'boy' ]
[ Sense 2: Date: 1300-1400 ; Language: Old French ; Origin: pupille , from Latin pupilla , from pupa 'girl, doll' ; because of the small image of yourself which you can see in someone else's eye ]
1 . especially British English someone who is being taught, especially a child:
About 20 pupils study music here.
staff and pupils
a star pupil (=a very good one)
a third-grade pupil
2 . the small black round area in the middle of your eye ⇨ iris
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THESAURUS
▪ student someone who is studying at a university or school. In British English, student is not usually used to refer to a child at primary school:
a student at Moscow University
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How many students are there in your class?
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The university has a lot of overseas students.
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Most schools have special classes for students with learning difficulties.
▪ pupil especially British English someone who is being taught in a particular school or by a particular teacher:
The school has 300 pupils.
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He received a letter from one of his former pupils.
▪ schoolchild a child who goes to school:
The play was performed by a group of local schoolchildren.
▪ schoolboy/schoolgirl especially British English a boy or girl who goes to school – used especially when talking about how they behave, or that time in someone’s life:
They were behaving like naughty schoolgirls.
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When he was a schoolboy, no one had heard of computers.
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He blushed at her like a schoolboy.
▪ learner someone who is learning a foreign language:
Learners often have problems with pronunciation.
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a book for foreign learners of English