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Where does the word "chrysalis" come from? It comes from Greek khrysallis, and was adopted directly into English (1600s).
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Where does the word "chrysalis" come from? It comes from Greek khrysallis, and was adopted directly into English (1600s).
Chrysalis’s story begins in Greek: khrysallis meant “a gold-colored casing.” Related to khrysos (gold), describing the golden sheen of some pupal cases. It reached English by 1600s as chrysalis. Settled as the English word for a butterfly's protective pupal case. Today, chrysalis means the hard protective casing of a butterfly or moth pupa.
- Stage 1 · Greek · ancient khrysallis "a gold-colored casing", related to khrysos (gold), describing the golden sheen of some pupal cases.
- Stage 2 · English · 1600s chrysalis "the protective casing of a developing butterfly", settled as the English word for a butterfly's protective pupal case.