larvae-safe
|lar-vae-safe|
🇺🇸
/ˈlɑrviː seɪf/
🇬🇧
/ˈlɑːviː seɪf/
safe for larvae
Etymology
'larvae-safe' is a modern English compound formed from 'larvae' + 'safe'. 'Larvae' comes from Latin 'larva' meaning 'ghost, mask' (used in biology to denote an immature form), and 'safe' comes via Old French/Old English from Latin 'salvus' meaning 'uninjured, healthy'.
'larvae' originates from Latin 'larva' and entered scientific English as the plural form used in biology; 'safe' evolved from Old French 'seif' and Latin 'salvus'. The compound 'larvae-safe' is a recent coinage (20th–21st century) using standard English compounding to indicate safety with respect to larvae.
Individually the roots meant 'immature form' (larva) and 'uninjured' (safe); combined in modern usage they mean 'not harmful to larvae' with no major semantic shift beyond compositional combination.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
the quality or state of being harmless to larvae (used as 'larvae-safety' as a noun derived from the adjective).
Manufacturers test for larvae-safety before labeling products as safe for aquatic environments.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Last updated: 2025/08/26 19:09