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larva

lar·va

larva

 
pronunciation:
lar v
features:
Word Combinations (noun), 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.
 
definition 2: the young of other animals that undergo metamorphosis, at a similarly immature stage.
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derivation: larval (adj.)
Word History
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.
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See
  amphibian, arthropod, insect, mollusk, reproduction