larva
noun
lar·va
| \ ˈlär-və
\
\
plural larvae\ ˈlär-(ˌ)vē
, -ˌvī \
also larvas
, -ˌvī \
also larvas
Definition of larva
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 (see chrysalis sense 1a) from which the adult emerges
2
: the early form of an animal (such as a frog or sea urchin) that at birth or hatching is fundamentally unlike its parent and must metamorphose before assuming the adult characters
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Other Words from larva
larval
\ ˈlär-vəl
\
adjective
\
adjective
Examples of larva in a Sentence
The larva of a butterfly is called a caterpillar.
the larva looked ugly, but it was destined to hatch into a beautiful butterfly
Recent Examples on the Web
Researchers at Pablo de Olavide University in Spain created this time lapse of a developing fruit fly larva under a confocal microscope, each cell illuminated by a fluorescent protein. — Scientific American, "Test Pilot Geese, Planetary Wrecking Balls and Super AI Vision: The Week’s Best Science GIFs," 6 Sep. 2019 An ash tree there was dying — a victim of the emerald ash borer, a bright-green beetle originally from Asia whose bark-munching larvae have killed hundreds of millions of trees in the U.S. since the species was discovered stateside in 2002. — NBC News, "Survey of U.S. forests ties tree-killing insects to climate change," 15 Aug. 2019 Eggs soon hatch, and young larvae begin to feed on roots of nearby grass until cold weather forces them to move deeper into the soil for the winter. — Tim Johnson, chicagotribune.com, "It’s Japanese beetle season. Here’s how to protect your plants from these voracious pests.," 26 July 2019 Its bark-eating larvae are thought to have killed hundreds of millions of trees since the beetle was discovered in the U.S. in 2002. — NBC News, "Trump wants to buy ... Greenland? Plus Israel's 'watershed moment' and the week in pictures," 16 Aug. 2019 Predator beneficial insects that prey on Japanese beetles and their larvae are not established in our area. — Betty Cahill, The Denver Post, "How to get bad insects out of your garden, from Japanese beetles to spider mites," 24 June 2019 Gall wasps or their larvae produce chemicals (phytotoxins) that stimulate the host plant to grow the gall structures. — oregonlive.com, "Tips for success when planting under conifer and maple trees? Ask an expert," 8 June 2019 Then came the Mediterranean olive fruit fly, which doesn’t harm the tree but destroys the crop by laying its larva inside each olive. — Joan Morris, The Mercury News, "Bay Area gardening: Growing olives," 6 June 2019 Loner bees leave a blob of pollen on the egg and wipe their hands of it, whereas social species dote on their larvae. — Quanta Magazine, "In Bees, a Hunt for Roots of Social Behavior," 6 May 2014These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'larva.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for larva
larva
noun
English Language Learners Definition of larva
: a very young form of an insect that looks like a worm
See the full definition for larva in the English Language Learners Dictionary
larva
noun
lar·va
| \ ˈlär-və
\
\
plural larvae\ -vē \
Kids Definition of larva
1
: a young wingless form (as a grub or caterpillar) of many insects that hatches from an egg
2
: an early form of any animal (as a frog) that at birth or hatching is very different from its parents
larva
noun
lar·va
| \ ˈlär-və
\
\
plural larvae\ -(ˌ)vē
, -ˌvī
\
also larvas
, -ˌvī
\
also larvas
Medical Definition of larva
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) that at birth or hatching is fundamentally unlike its parent and must metamorphose before assuming the adult characters
Other Words from larva
larval
\ -vəl
\
adjective
\
adjective
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