'pupil', 'doll', 'child'

[Peter Hook]

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It seems that the English word <pupil> has a similar polysemy, or that its
Latin antecedent does: <pupillus> and <pupilla> are the diminutives of
<pupus> 'boy' and <pupa> 'girl'.  The diminutive of the latter word means
both 'pupil (of the eye)' as well as 'ward; schoolchild'. My guess at an
explanation is that when one person looks carefully at his or her
reflection in the pupil of another person's eye they will see what looks
like a small person. Or a doll.

        Peter

On Wed, 18 Apr 2001, Ghanshyam Sharma wrote:

> VYAKARAN: South Asian Languages and Linguistics Net
> Editors:  Tej K. Bhatia, Syracuse University, New York
>           John Peterson, University of Munich, Germany
> Details:  Send email to listserv at listserv.syr.edu and say: INFO VYAKARAN
> Subscribe:Send email to listserv at listserv.syr.edu and say:
>           SUBSCRIBE VYAKARAN FIRST_NAME LAST_NAME
>           (Substitute your real name for first_name last_name)
> Archives: http://listserv.syr.edu
>
> At 08.04 17/04/01 -0700, you wrote:
> >
> >In Panjabi, putlii (long i), means both 'puppet' and
> >'pupil of the eye'.
> >
> >Elena Bashir, SALC
> >The University of Chicago
>
> In Hindi too!
>
> Ghanshyam Sharma
> University  of Venice
>