PUPIL


Meaning of PUPIL in English

pupil 1

— pupilless , adj.

/pyooh"peuhl/ , n.

1. a person, usually young, who is learning under the close supervision of a teacher at school, a private tutor, or the like; student.

2. Civil Law. an orphaned or emancipated minor under the care of a guardian.

3. Roman Law. a person under the age of puberty orphaned or emancipated, and under the care of a guardian.

[ 1350-1400; ME pupille pupillus (masc.), pupilla (fem.) orphan, ward, diminutives of pupus boy, pupa girl ]

Syn. 1. apprentice, novice. PUPIL, DISCIPLE, SCHOLAR, STUDENT refer to a person who is studying, usually in a school. A PUPIL is one under the close supervision of a teacher, either because of youth or of specialization in some branch of study: a grade-school pupil; the pupil of a famous musician. A DISCIPLE is one who follows the teachings or doctrines of a person whom he or she considers to be a master or authority: a disciple of Swedenborg.

SCHOLAR, once meaning the same as PUPIL, is today usually applied to one who has acquired wide erudition in some field of learning: a great Latin scholar. A STUDENT is a person attending an educational institution or someone who has devoted much attention to a particular problem: a college student; a student of politics.

pupil 2

— pupilless , adj.

/pyooh"peuhl/ , n. Anat.

the expanding and contracting opening in the iris of the eye, through which light passes to the retina. See diag. under eye .

[ 1350-1400; ME pupilla lit., little doll; for sense cf. Gk kóre girl, doll, pupil of the eye, alluding to the tiny reflections visible in the pupils. See PUPA ]

Random House Webster's Unabridged English dictionary.      Полный английский словарь Вебстер - Random House .