verb
- to become a pupa; to undergo the transformation from larva to pupa in the process of metamorphosis
Usage: biology
Examples
- The caterpillar will pupate inside its chrysalis for about two weeks.
- Many insects pupate underground or in protected spaces.
- After feeding for several weeks, the larvae are ready to pupate.
- The butterfly species pupates during the winter months.
- Scientists observed the exact moment when the larva began to pupate.
- Some beetles pupate in rotting wood or soil.