LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · femininefirst declension

lārva

lārva f (genitive lārvae)
Classical[ˈɫaːr.wa]Ecclesiastical[ˈlar.va]

Meaning

  1. spooky ghost, haunt, evil spirit, terror
  2. figurativelyhorrific mask
  3. banquet ghost: a skeleton doll with movable joints seated at the banquet table at Roman parties in a fashion that came about in the 1st century AD

Choosing the right word Döderlein's Latin Synonyms

Larva · Persona

Larva (from lar?) is a caricatured, frightful mask; persona (παρισῶν) an ingeniously formed, characteristic mask.

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativelārvalārvae
genitivelārvaelārvārum
dativelārvaelārvīs
accusativelārvamlārvās
ablativelārvālārvīs
vocativelārvalārvae

larva (ante-class. as trisyl. lārŭa), ae, f. 2. lar,
I. a ghost, spectre: larvae stimulant virum, Plaut. Capt. 3, 4, 66: amator qui me et uxorem ludificatust larva, id. Cas. 3, 4, 2; id. Aul. 4, 4, 15: cum mortuis non nisi larvas luctari, Plin. praef. H. N. § 31.—As a term of reproach, hobgoblin, scarecrow: etiam loquere larŭa? Plaut. Merc. 5, 4, 20: nam haec quidem edepol larvarum plenast, possessed, id. Am. 2, 2, 145.—
II. Transf.
A. A mask (cf. persona): nil illi larva et tragicis opus esse cothurnis, Hor. S. 1, 5, 64.—
B. A skeleton, Petr. 34, 8.

Origins

Possibly from Lār (“Etruscan praenomen; titulary god”), usu. as Lares (“guardian deities”), but vowel length gradation unexplained.

Descendants
  • Catalanlarva
  • Englishlarva
  • Frenchlarve
  • GermanLarvefrom Middle High German larve
  • Italianlarva
  • Portugueselarva
  • Romanianlarvă
  • Spanishlarva
  • Czechlarva
  • Danishlarve

Quick answers

What does lārva mean in Latin?
lārva, a noun, means “spooky ghost, haunt, evil spirit, terror; horrific mask; banquet ghost: a skeleton doll with movable joints seated at the banquet table at Roman parties in a fashion that came about in the 1st century AD”.
What is the genitive of lārva?
The genitive singular is lārvae. lārva is feminine, first declension.
How do you pronounce lārva?
In classical Latin, [ˈɫaːr.wa]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [ˈlar.va].