larva

lar·va  (lärv)

n. pl. lar·vae (-v) or lar·vas

1. The newly hatched, wingless, often wormlike form of many insects before metamorphosis.

2. The newly hatched, earliest stage of any of various animals that undergo metamorphosis, differing markedly in form and appearance from the adult.

3. Roman Mythology A malevolent spirit of the dead; a lemur.

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[Latin lrva, specter, mask (because it acts as a specter of or a mask for the adult form).]

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larval adj.

Word History: The word larva referring to the newly hatched form of insects before they undergo metamorphosis comes from the Latin word lrva, meaning "evil spirit, demon, devil." To understand why this should be so, first we need to know that the Latin word also was used for a terrifying mask, and in Medieval Latin it could mean "mask or visor." Larva is therefore an appropriate term for that stage of an insect's life during which its final form is still hidden or masked, and New Latin lrva was thus applied in 1691 by Carolus Linnaeus, the Swedish botanist who originated our system of classifying plants and animals. The word larva is first recorded in English in its scientific sense in 1768, although it had been used in its "spirit" sense in 1651 in a way that foreshadowed the usage by Linnaeus.

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larva [ˈlɑːvə]

n pl -vae [-viː]

(Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Zoology) an immature free-living form of many animals that develops into a different adult form by metamorphosis

[(C17 in the original Latin sense: ghost): New Latin]

larval  adj

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larva  (lärv)

Plural larvae (lärv) or larvas

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. Compare imagonymphpupa

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

larva - the immature free-living form of most invertebrates and amphibians and fish which at hatching from the egg is fundamentally unlike its parent and must metamorphose animal, animate being, beast, creature, fauna, brute - a living organism characterized by voluntary movement ascidian tadpole - free-swimming larva of ascidians; they have a tail like a tadpole that contains the notochord bladder worm - encysted saclike larva of the tapeworm cercaria - tadpole-shaped parasitic larva of a trematode worm; tail disappears in adult stage wireworm - wormlike larva of various elaterid beetles; feeds on roots of many crop plants mealworm - the larva of beetles of the family Tenebrionidae wiggler, wriggler - larva of a mosquito jointworm, strawworm - larva of chalcid flies injurious to the straw of wheat and other grains ant lion, antlion, doodlebug - the larva of any of several insects aphid lion, aphis lion - carnivorous larva of lacewing flies dobson, hellgrammiate - large brown aquatic larva of the dobsonfly; used as fishing bait caseworm - insect larva that constructs a protective case around its body caterpillar - a wormlike and often brightly colored and hairy or spiny larva of a butterfly or moth nymph - a larva of an insect with incomplete metamorphosis (as the dragonfly or mayfly) leptocephalus - slender transparent larva of eels and certain fishes bot - botfly larva; typically develops inside the body of a horse or sheep or human grub - a soft thick wormlike larva of certain beetles and other insects polliwog, pollywog, tadpole - a larval frog or toad

Translations

larva [ˈlɑːvə] N (larvae (pl)) [ˈlɑːviː] → larva f

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larva [ˈlɑː^rvə] [larvae] [ˈlɑː^rviː] (pl) n → larve f

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larva

n pl <-e> → Larve f

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larva [ˈlɑːvə] n (larvae (pl)) [ˈlɑːviː] → larva

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larva [ˈlɑːvə] n (larvae (pl)) [ˈlɑːviː] → larva

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larva

n larva [ˈlaːvə]

a developing insect in its first stage after coming out of the egg; a grub or caterpillar. larwe يَرَقانَه ларва larva larve die Larve προνύμφη, κάμπια larva vastne کرم حشره toukka larve זַחַל डिम्भक ličinka lárva ulat lirfa larva 幼虫 유충, 애벌레 lerva kūniņa larva larve larve poczwarka larva larvă личинка larva ličinka larva larv ตัวอ่อนของสัตว์ kurtçuk, lârva 幼蟲 личинка کسی حشرے کی نشو نما کا دور ấu trùng 幼虫

adj larval

larwe يَرَقاني ларвен larvální, larvový larveagtig Larven-... προνυμφικός larval vastse- لیسه ای toukka- larvaire שׁל זַחַל डिम्भक kao ličinka lárva alakú tahap dini lirfu- larvale 幼虫の 유충의 lervos kūniņas- larva larvaal larve- larwalny larvar larvar личиночный larvový, -álny ličinkin larvični larv- เหมือนตัวอ่อนของสัตว์ lârva halinde 幼蟲的 личинковий حشرے کی نشو نما سے متعلق thuộc ấu trùng 幼虫的