Definition of: larva

(lär′və) noun plural ·vae (-vē)
1. Biol. The early form of any animal when it is unlike the parent, or undergoes a metamorphosis.
2. Entomol. The first stage of an insect after leaving the egg, preceding the pupa, as a cater-pillar, a grub, or a maggot.
3. In ancient Roman superstition, an evil spirit. [<L, a ghost, a mask]
—lar′val adjective