also: a sheltered state or stage of being or growth
… a budding writer could not emerge from his chrysalis too soon. —William Du Bois
Illustration of chrysalis
chrysalis 1
Examples of chrysalis in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the WebFeeling like a butterfly morphing in its chrysalis?—USA TODAY, 27 May 2024 In longevity, there is not going to be a moment when a chrysalis bursts and a butterfly flies out, Miller said, a sudden leap forward in people’s life expectancy.—Jacob Sweet, Vox, 8 May 2024 By the time Miles emerged from his Hill Country chrysalis, people recognized and approached him.—Avery Stone, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Feb. 2024 The monarch’s black, white and yellow ringed caterpillars also eat common milkweed leaves, then form jewel-like chrysalides, which hang from those leaves.—Susan Degrane, Chicago Tribune, 31 Jan. 2024 See all Example Sentences for chrysalis
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'chrysalis.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
borrowed from Latin chrȳsallid-, chrȳsallis, borrowed from Greek chrȳsallid-, chrȳsallís, from chrȳsós "gold" (referring to the metallic gold-like sheen of some butterfly pupae) + -allid-, -allis, noun suffix of some plant and animal names — more at chryso-
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