From Greek 'khrysallis' (gold-colored pupa), from 'khrysos' (gold) — named for the metallic sheen on butterfly pupae.
The hard-shelled pupa of a butterfly, within which the caterpillar undergoes metamorphosis into its adult winged form; also used figuratively for any state of protected transformation.
From Latin 'chrysalis' (pupa of a butterfly), borrowed from Greek 'khrysallis' (golden pupa), from 'khrysos' (gold), a word ultimately borrowed into Greek from a Semitic source — Phoenician or Hebrew 'ḥārûz' (gold) or Akkadian 'ḫurāṣu' (gold). The Greek compound referred specifically to the gold-coloured or gold-like metallic sheen of certain butterfly pupae, particularly those of the Papilio family, whose chrysalises can be brilliantly golden. The Semitic root for gold was borrowed very early into Greek, making 'chrysalis' one of the relatively few common English
The word 'chrysalis' literally means 'golden thing' in Greek — many butterfly pupae have a stunning metallic gold sheen. The same Greek root 'khrysós' (gold) gives us 'chrysanthemum' (gold flower) and was the source of the name Chrysostom ('golden mouth'), the title of the famous early church father.