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

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

It looks like the larva of a butterfly.

From BBC ● Dec. 21, 2023

Shortly after eating foliage coated with this toxin the larva suffers paralysis, stops feeding, and soon dies.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson

The larvae can reach an impressive five inches in length, while the adult beetles do not feed.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 6, 2026

“Madrone is very similar and is a host species for varied larvae species,” Miller said, “which strawberry tree will never be.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026

Natural Resources Wales said the habitat allowed wet sedges to grow - which is the only food source for the Bog Grass Moth's larvae.

From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026

The researchers exposed fruit fly larvae to ionizing radiation, but this time they used modern genetic tools to follow the regeneration of epithelial tissue in far greater detail.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 18, 2026

The hatching larvae are parasitic, feeding on the flesh of the host.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson

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Related Words

• grub
• worm

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