/ ˈpjuːpl; NAmE / noun
1.
( especially BrE , becoming old-fashioned ) a person who is being taught, especially a child in a school :
How many pupils does the school have?
She now teaches only private pupils.
➡ note at student
2.
a person who is taught artistic, musical, etc. skills by an expert :
The painting is by a pupil of Rembrandt.
3.
the small round black area at the centre of the eye :
Her pupils were dilated.
—picture at eye
—compare iris
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WORD ORIGIN
senses 1 to 2 late Middle English (in the sense orphan, ward ): from Old French pupille , from Latin pupillus (diminutive of pupus boy) and pupilla (diminutive of pupa girl).
sense 3 late Middle English : from Old French pupille or Latin pupilla , diminutive of pupa doll (so named from the tiny reflected images visible in the eye).