PUPA

[pu.pa] n, pl pu.pae or pupas [NL, fr. L pupa doll] (1815): an intermediate usu. quiescent stage of a metamorphic insect (as a bee, moth, or beetle) that occurs between the larva and the imago, is usu. enclosed in a cocoon or protective covering, and undergoes internal changes by which larval structures are replaced by those typical of the imago -- pu.pal adj