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larva
(redirected from larva currens)

   Also found in: Medical, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia, Hutchinson 0.01 sec.
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.

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

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.

larva
Noun
pl -vae the immature form of many insects before it develops into its adult form [New Latin]
larval adj

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
ThesaurusLegend:  Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Noun1.larvalarva - 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 [pl larvae] [ˈlɑːvə, -iː] nlarva
larva [larvae , pl ] [ˈlɑːvə, -iː] nlarve f
larva [ˈlɑːvə] [larvae , pl ] nLarve f
larva [pl larvae] [ˈlɑːvə, -iː] nlarva

larva
n larva [ˈlaːvə]
a developing insect in its first stage after coming out of the egg; a grub or caterpillar. larweيَرَقانَهларваlarvalarvedie Larveπρονύμφη, κάμπιαlarvavastneکرم حشرهtoukkalarveזַחַלडिम्भकličinkalárvaulatlirfalarva幼虫(곤충의) 유충lervakūniņalarvalarvelarvepoczwarkalarvalarvăличинкаlarvaličinkalarvalarvตัวอ่อนของสัตว์kurtçuk, lârva幼蟲личинкаکسی حشرے کی نشو نما کا دورấu trùng
adj ˈlarval
larweيَرَقانيларвенlarvální, larvovýlarveagtigLarven-...προνυμφικόςlarvalvastse-لیسه ایtoukka-larvaireשׁל זַחַלडिम्भकkao ličinkalárva alakútahap dinilirfu-larvale幼虫の유충의lervoskūniņas-larvalarvaallarve-larwalnylarvarlarvarличиночныйlarvový, -álnyličinkinlarvičnilarv-เหมือนตัวอ่อนของสัตว์lârva halinde幼蟲的личинковийحشرے کی نشو نما سے متعلقthuộc ấu trùng

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