An insect in the chrysalis stage; a pupa, especially of a butterfly, enclosed in a protective case.
From Greek 'chrysalis' (gold) plus the noun suffix '-id.' The term refers specifically to an organism in the chrysalis developmental stage.
A chrysalid is basically a butterfly under wraps—it's completely unrecognizable as the butterfly it will become, but inside that tough shell, an absolute molecular miracle is happening as the creature basically liquefies and rebuilds itself from scratch! It's nature's most extreme makeover.
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