larva
Americannoun
plural
larvae-
Entomology. the immature, wingless, feeding stage of an insect that undergoes complete metamorphosis.
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any animal in an analogous immature form.
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the young of any invertebrate animal.
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Roman Antiquity. larvae, malignant ghosts, as lemures.
noun
plural
larvae-
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.
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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.
Other Word Forms
- larval adjective
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
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"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
It has set its sights on a bizarre-looking insect larva known as the mealybug ladybird, which sports a coat of white, waxy filaments that resembles fleece.
From Science Magazine • Mar. 15, 2024
“That one is a live larva!” said Alex Smith, the lab manager of Colorado Mesa University’s Forensic Investigation Research Station, plucking the larva off the ground and stuffing it into a glass tube.
From New York Times • Mar. 3, 2024
The young wasp, hatching as a larva, feeds on the paralyzed grub and destroys it.
From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
