Meaning & use
larva
The immature, wingless form of an insect or other animal that hatches from an egg before metamorphosis.
See it in a sentence
The larva fed on leaves for weeks before spinning its cocoon.
Under the microscope, the students watched a mosquito larva wriggle in the water sample.
A note on using this word
The plural form is "larvae"; a caterpillar is a familiar example of a butterfly's larva stage.
Words with a similar meaning
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