larva

American  

[lahr-vuh] / ˈlɑr və /

noun

• larvae
  plural

1. Entomology. the immature, wingless, feeding stage of an insect that undergoes complete metamorphosis.

2. any animal in an analogous immature form.

3. the young of any invertebrate animal.

4. Roman Antiquity. larvae, malignant ghosts, as lemures.

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larva British  

/ ˈlɑːvə /

noun

1. an immature free-living form of many animals that develops into a different adult form by metamorphosis

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larva Scientific  

/ lär′və /

• larvae
  plural

1. An animal in an early stage of development that differs greatly in appearance from its adult stage. Larvae are adapted to a different environment and way of life from those of adults and go through a process of metamorphosis in changing to adults. Tadpoles are the larvae of frogs and toads.

2. The immature, wingless, and usually wormlike feeding form of those insects that undergo three stages of metamorphosis, such as butterflies, moths, and beetles. Insect larvae hatch from eggs, later turn into pupae, and finally turn into adults.

3. Compare imago nymph pupa

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• larval
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• larvae
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of larva

First recorded in 1645–55; from New Latin; special use of Latin larva “a ghost, specter, mask, skeleton”; akin to Lares

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Explanation

The immature form of many insects and amphibians is a larva. A caterpillar is one example of a larva — it has hatched from an egg and will eventually become a fully mature butterfly. You may picture a larva as a little grubby white bug, and in many cases you'd be correct. Many insects pass through a larval stage in which they resemble grubs — in fact, grubs are the larva of insects like June bugs and Japanese beetles. Other familiar larvae include tadpoles and maggots. The name, which means "evil spirit" or "terrifying mask" in Latin, comes from the idea that a larval insect's final form is hidden, or "masked."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

larva larvae

That’s because a screwworm larva “attacks living flesh,” Talbot said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 6, 2026

"Witnessing how they slowly transition to a typical cydippid larva as if they were going back in time, was simply fascinating," Soto-Angel said in a statement.

From Salon ● Nov. 10, 2024

Dr Smith said this might have been caused by high concentrations of phosphorus in the ocean where this larva briefly lived and died.

From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2024

The weird thing is, the larva cannot produce carminic acid on its own.

From Science Magazine ● Mar. 15, 2024

More than anything, she wished to trace the path of each marvelous creature, from egg—laid on a particular host plant—to larva, to pupa, to adult.

From "The Girl Who Drew Butterflies: How Maria Merian's Art Changed Science" by Joyce Sidman

Runners up in the competition included videos of a roundworm encountering a single-celled organism and microscopic jellyfish larvae suspended in droplets of water.

From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026

New World screwworm differs sharply from most fly larvae.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 15, 2026

The research team will now trial the feasibility of a mobile oyster hatchery, in the hope it could both supply oyster larvae to coastal communities and help rebuild oyster beds in various areas.

From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026

It brings together several types of information, including confirmed detections, environmental conditions that may favor the fly and its larvae, and reports in the news media.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 15, 2026

From these emerge her children — strange, bristled larvae called aphis lions, which live by preying on aphids, scales, or mites, which they capture and suck dry of fluid.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson

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Related Words

• grub
• worm

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