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 ]