n.
Pronunciation: ' lär-v ə
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural lar · vae \ -( ˌ )v ē , - ˌ v ī \ 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 \ -v ə l \ adjective