Meaning
larva, grub
- The immature free-living form of most insects and some other animals
- A pale, emaciated, or ghost-like person (figurative)
In a sentence
La larva della farfalla cresce nutrendosi di foglie.
The butterfly larva grows by feeding on leaves.
Dopo quella brutta influenza sembrava una larva.
After that nasty flu, he looked like a ghost of himself.
Abbiamo trovato alcune larve di zanzara nell'acqua stagnante.
We found some mosquito larvae in the standing water.
Word forms (2)
| Word | Word forms |
|---|---|
| larva | feminine · singular |
| larve | feminine · plural |
Usage notes
- Follows regular feminine plural patterns: larva -> larve.
- Figuratively describes someone completely exhausted or sick: 'ridursi a una larva'.