Where does “pupils” come from?
pupils (English) comes from English pupil, from Middle English pupille, from Old French pupille, from Latin pūpilla, from Latin pupula, from Latin pupa, from Latin pupus, from Proto-Indo-European peh₂w- — few, little; smallness.
pupils (English): plural of pupil
Ancestry of “pupils”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | pupil | A learner under the supervision of a teacher or... |
| 2 | Middle English | pupille | — |
| 3 | Old French | pupille | orphan |
| 4 | Latin | pūpilla | — |
| 5 | Latin | pupula | pupil; little lass |
| 6 | Latin | pupa | girl, little girl; doll, puppet; pupa |
| 7 | Latin | pupus | a boy, a child; a puppet; the pupil of the eye |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | peh₂w- | few, little; smallness |