n.
Pronunciation: ' kri-s ə -l ə s
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural chry · sal · i · des \ kri- ' sa-l ə - ˌ d ē z \ or chrys · a · lis · es
Etymology: Latin chrysallid-, chrysallis gold-colored pupa of butterflies, from Greek, from chrysos gold, of Semitic origin; akin to Hebrew ḥ ā r ū ș gold
Date: 1601
1 a : a pupa of a butterfly broadly : an insect pupa b : the enclosing case or covering of a pupa
2 : a protecting covering : a sheltered state or stage of being or growth <a budding writer could not emerge from his chrysalis too soon ― William Dutch Bois>
chrysalis 1