noun
larva
LAR-vuh/ˈlɑːrvə/
An immature form of an insect or other animal that changes substantially before becoming an adult.
A monarch larva arches between a milkweed stem and a leaf.
Etymology
Latin larva meant both “ghost” and “mask.” Linnaeus applied the word to immature animal forms because their unlike appearance “masks” the adult form they will become.
In context
each larva starts out smaller than a date on a penny and in just a few weeks it's as long as your finger now this plump caterpillar can get to work on its next phase of life
More examples
- A mosquito larva wriggled near the water's surface.
- The larvae grew rapidly before entering the next stage.
- Each beetle larva remained hidden inside the decaying wood.
Forms
larva · larvae · larvas
larval adjective — relating to a larva