larva

From Latin larva (“ghost-like, masked”).

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈlɑː.və/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈlɑɹ.və/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɑː(r)və
• Homophone: lava (in non-rhotic accents)

larva (plural larvas or larvae or larvæ)

1. An early stage of growth for some insects and amphibians, in which after hatching from their egg, insects are wingless and resemble a caterpillar or grub, and amphibians lack limbs and resemble fish.
2. An animal in the aforementioned stage.
3. A form of a recently born or hatched animal that is quite different from its adult stage.

Although the plural larvas is somewhat common, it is regarded by some as incorrect.

• Raval, alvar, arval, lavra

• IPA^(key): /ˈlaɹ.va/

larva

1. plural of larvë

From Latin larva (“ghost-like, masked”).

• (Balearic) IPA^(key): /ˈlaɾ.və/
• (Central) IPA^(key): /ˈlar.bə/
• (Valencian) IPA^(key): /ˈlaɾ.va/

larva f (plural larves)

1. larva

• larval
• larvari

• “larva” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
• “larva” in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana.
• “larva” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “larva” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

• IPA^(key): [ˈlarva]
• Rhymes: -arva
• Hyphenation: lar‧va

larva f

1. larva

From Latin larva (“ghost-like, masked”).

larva f (plural larvas)

1. larva

• larval

• “larva” in Dicionario da Real Academia Galega, Royal Galician Academy.

From Latin larva (“ghost-like, masked”).

larva f (plural larve)

1. larva, grub
2. (figuratively) shadow, skeleton

• (grub): bruco

• larvale
• larvato
• larvicida

• larva in Treccani.it – Vocabolario Treccani on line, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana

Possibly from Lār (“Etruscan praenomen; titulary god”), usu. as Lares (“guardian deities”), but vowel length gradation unexplained.

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /ˈlaːr.wa/, [ˈɫaːr.wa]
• (Plautine) IPA^(key): /ˈlaː.ru.a/, [ˈɫaː.rʊ.a]

lārva f (genitive lārvae); first declension

1. ghost, evil spirit, demon, devil
2. (figuratively) horrific mask
3. (figuratively) skeleton

First declension.

• circa 200 B.C., Plautus, Captivi, Act 3, Scene 4, line 66:

  Larvae stimulant virum.

  The ghosts rouse the man.

• lārvālis
• lārvāns
• lārvō

• Catalan: larva
• English: larva
• French: larve
• Galician: larva
• → German: Larve
• Italian: larva
• Portuguese: larva
• Spanish: larva

• larva in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• larva in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• larva in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire Illustré Latin-Français, Hachette
• De Vaan, Michiel (2008), “lārua”, in Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7), Leiden, Boston: Brill, page 328

• larven

larva m or f

1. definite feminine singular of larve

• larven

larva m or f

1. definite feminine singular of larve

From Latin larva (“ghost-like, masked”).

larva f (plural larvas)

1. larva (early growth stage of some insects and amphibians)

• larval
• larvar
• larvário

• “larva” in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa.

From Latin larva (“ghost-like, masked”).

• IPA^(key): /ˈlarba/, [ˈlarβa]

larva f (plural larvas)

1. (obsolete) ghost
2. larva

• larval
• larvario

• “larva” in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014.

From Latin larva (“facemask”).

larva (present larvar, preterite larvade, supine larvat, imperative larva)

1. (reflexive) to behave flippantly, childishly or ridiculously; to tramp, to footle

• larv
• larvig