Main Entry: lar·va

Pronunciation: \ˈlär-və\

Function: noun

Inflected Form(s): plural lar·vae \-(ˌ)vē, -ˌvī\ also larvas

Etymology: New Latin, from Latin, specter, mask; akin to Latin lar Lar

Date: 1768

1 : the immature, wingless, and often wormlike feeding form that hatches from the egg of many insects, alters chiefly in size while passing through several molts, and is finally transformed into a pupa or chrysalis from which the adult emerges
2 : the early form of an animal (as a frog or sea urchin) that at birth or hatching is fundamentally unlike its parent and must metamorphose before assuming the adult characters

— lar·val \-vəl\ adjective