larva

See also: lárva and larvă

English

A salamander larva

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

  • (UK) IPA(key): /ˈlɑː.və/
  • (US) IPA(key): /ˈlɑɹ.və/
  • Audio (US)(file)
  • Rhymes: -ɑː(r)və
  • Homophone: lava (in non-rhotic accents)

Noun

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.

Usage notes

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

Translations

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout#Translations.

Anagrams

Albanian

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈlaɹ.va/

Noun

larva

  1. plural of larvë

Catalan

Noun

larva f (plural larves)

  1. larva

Czech

Pronunciation

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

Noun

larva f

  1. larva

Declension

Italian

Noun

larva f (plural larve)

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

Synonyms

Derived terms

Latin

Etymology

From Larēs (“guardian deities”).

Pronunciation

Noun

larva f (genitive larvae); first declension

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

Inflection

First declension.

Case Singular Plural
nominative larva larvae
genitive larvae larvārum
dative larvae larvīs
accusative larvam larvās
ablative larvā larvīs
vocative larva larvae

Quotations

  1. Larvae stimulant virum.
    "The ghosts rouse the man."

Derived terms

  • larvālis
  • larvāns
  • larvō

Descendants

References

  • 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

Norwegian Bokmål

Alternative forms

Noun

larva m, f

  1. definite feminine singular of larve

Norwegian Nynorsk

Alternative forms

Noun

larva m, f

  1. definite feminine singular of larve

Portuguese

Noun

larva f (plural larvas)

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

Spanish

Noun

larva f (plural larvas)

  1. larva

Swedish

Etymology

From Latin larva (“facemask”).

Verb

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

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

Conjugation

This article is issued from Wiktionary. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.