Larva
/ˈlɑːr.və/noun
The immature, wormlike form of an insect or other animal that undergoes metamorphosis.
Did you know?In Latin, larva could mean a ghost, specter, or mask, and early modern scholars used that eerie sense for the hidden, changeling-like stage of insects before metamorphosis.
Etymological Timeline
Classical Latin
Latin
larva
“a ghost, specter, or mask; something that conceals identity”
Late Latin
Latin
larva
“an apparition or frightening mask”
18th Century
New Latin
larva
“the hidden immature stage of an insect or other animal”
Modern English
English
larva
“the immature, wormlike stage of an animal undergoing metamorphosis”