Dictionary Definition
larva n : 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 [also:
larvae (pl)]
User Contributed Dictionary
English
Etymology
From Latin larva (ghost-like, masked).Pronunciation
Homophones
- lava (in non-rhotic accents)
Noun
- A stage of growth for some insects, in which they are wingless and resemble a caterpillar or grub after hatching from their egg
- An animal in the aforementioned stage.
- A form of a recently born or hatched animal that is quite different from its adult stage.
Usage notes
The incorrect plural larvas is somewhat common.Translations
a stage of growth
- Czech: larva
- Dutch: larvestadium
- Finnish: toukka-aste
- Portuguese: larva
- Russian: личинка (ličinka)
- Spanish: larva
- Swedish: larv , larvstadie , larvstadium
an animal in such stage of growth
- ttbc Breton: larvenn -ed plural
- ttbc Indonesian: larva
- ttbc Interlingua: larva
Albanian
Pronunciation
- IPA: /ˈlaɹ.va/
Noun
larva plural of larvë (larva)Synonyms
- (1) bruco
Latin
Noun
larva, -aeFirst declension
Norwegian
Noun
larva- definite singular of larve
Swedish
Verb
larva- to behave flippantly; to tramp
Derived terms
Extensive Definition
A larva (Latin; plural larvae)
is a juvenile form of animal with indirect development,
undergoing metamorphosis
(for example, insects or
amphibians).
The larva can look completely different from the
adult form, for example, a caterpillar differs from a
butterfly. Larvae
often have special (larval) organs which do not occur in the adult
form. The larvae of some species can become pubescent and not further
develop into the adult form (for example, in some newts). This is a type of neoteny.
It is a misunderstanding that the larval form
always
reflects the group's evolutionary history. It could be the
case, but often the larval stage has evolved secondarily, as in
insects. In these cases the larval form might differ more from the
group's common origin than the adult form.
The early life stages of most fish species are considerably
different from juveniles and adults of their species and are called
larvae.
Names of various kinds of larvae:
larva in Arabic: يرقة
larva in Bulgarian: Ларва
larva in Catalan: Larva
larva in Czech: Larva
larva in Danish: Larve
larva in German: Larve
larva in Spanish: Larva
larva in Esperanto: Larvo
larva in Persian: لارو
larva in French: Larve
larva in Galician: Larva
larva in Indonesian: Larva
larva in Italian: Larva
larva in Hebrew: פגית
larva in Lithuanian: Lerva
larva in Hungarian: Lárva
larva in Dutch: Larve
larva in Japanese: 幼虫
larva in Norwegian: Larve
larva in Occitan (post 1500): Baba
larva in Polish: Larwa
larva in Portuguese: Larva
larva in Quechua: Qirisa
larva in Russian: Личинка
larva in Simple English: Larva
larva in Slovak: Larva
larva in Serbian: Ларва
larva in Finnish: Toukka
larva in Swedish: Larv
larva in Vietnamese: Ấu trùng
larva in Turkish: Larva
larva in Ukrainian: Личинка
larva in Chinese: 幼虫
Synonyms, Antonyms and Related Words
Anlage,
Masan, apparition, appearance, arachnid, arthropod, astral, astral spirit, aurelia, banshee, beetle, blastula, bug, caterpillar, centipede, chilopod, chrysalis, cocoon, control, daddy longlegs,
departed spirit, diplopod, disembodied spirit,
duppy, dybbuk, eidolon, embryo, fetus, fly, form, germ, germen, ghost, grateful dead, grub, guide, hant, harvestman, haunt, hexapod, idolum, immateriality, incorporeal, incorporeal
being, incorporeity, insect, lemures, maggot, manes, materialization,
millepede, millipede, mite, nymph, nympha, oni, phantasm, phantasma, phantom, poltergeist, presence, pupa, revenant, rudiment, scorpion, shade, shadow, shape, shrouded spirit, specter, spectral ghost,
spider, spirit, spook, sprite, tarantula, theophany, tick, unsubstantiality,
vision, walking dead man,
wandering soul, wiggler,
wraith, wriggler, zombie, zygote