lar·va
larva
- pronunciation:
- lar
v
- features:
- Word History, Word Explorer
| part of speech: |
noun |
| inflections: |
larvae |
| definition 1: |
a newly hatched, wingless insect, often in the form of a worm, before it undergoes metamorphosis into its adult form.
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| definition 2: |
the young of other animals that undergo metamorphosis, at a similarly immature stage.
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| derivation: |
larval (adj.) |
Larva is a Latin word that means "mask" or "ghost." The Swedish botanist Linnaeus gave this Latin word a scientific sense in 1768. He chose this word because, in its larva stage, the true, adult form of the insect is masked.