pupil Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun a learner who is enrolled in an educational institution
    educatee; student.
  2. noun the contractile aperture in the center of the iris of the eye; resembles a large black dot
  3. noun a young person attending school (up through senior high school)
    schoolchild; school-age child.

WordNet

Pu"pil noun
Etymology
F. pupille, n. fem., L. pupilla the pupil of the eye, originally dim. of pupa a girl. See Puppet, and cf. Pupil a scholar.
Definitions
  1. (Anat.) The aperture in the iris; the sight, apple, or black of the eye. See the Note under Eye, and Iris. Dunglison.
Pu"pil noun
Etymology
F. pupille, n. masc. & fem., L. pupillus, pupilla, dim. of pupus boy, pupa girl. See Puppet, and cf. Pupil of the eye.
Definitions
  1. A youth or scholar of either sex under the care of an instructor or tutor.
    Too far in years to be a pupil now. Shak.
    Tutors should behave reverently before their pupils. L'Estrange.
  2. A person under a guardian; a ward. Dryden.
  3. (Civil Law) A boy or a girl under the age of puberty, that is, under fourteen if a male, and under twelve if a female. Syn. -- Learner; disciple; tyro. -- See Scholar.

Webster 1913