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Molt

 - 6 dictionary results

molt

  [mohlt]
Use Molt in a Sentence
–verb (used without object)
1. (of birds, insects, reptiles, etc.) to cast or shed the feathers, skin, or the like, that will be replaced by a new growth.
–verb (used with object)
2. to cast or shed (feathers, skin, etc.) in the process of renewal.
–noun
3. an act, process, or an instance of molting.
4. something that is dropped in molting.
Also, especially British, moult.

Origin:
1300–50; earlier mout (with intrusive -l-; cf. fault, assault ), ME mouten, OE -mūtian to change (in bi-mūtian to exchange for) < L mūtāre to change; see mutate

Related forms:
molter, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To Molt
molt   (mōlt)   
v.   molt·ed, molt·ing, molts

v.   intr.
To shed periodically part or all of a coat or an outer covering, such as feathers, cuticle, or skin, which is then replaced by a new growth.
v.   tr.
To shed or cast off (a bodily covering).
n.  

  1. The act or process of molting.

  2. The material cast off during molting.


[Alteration of Middle English mouten, from Old English -mūtian (in bemūtian, to exchange for), from Latin mūtāre, to change; see mei-1 in Indo-European roots.]
molt'er n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

molt  (v.)
1340, mouten, of feathers, "to be shed," from O.E. (be)mutian "to exchange," from L. mutare "to change" (see mutable). Trans. sense, of birds, "to shed feathers" is first attested 1530. With parasitic -l-, late 16c., on model of fault, etc.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: 1molt
Pronunciation: 'mOlt
Variant: or chiefly British moult
Function: intransitive verb
: to shed hair, feathers,shell, horns, or an outer layer periodically molt transitive senses
: to cast off (an outer covering) periodically; specifically : to throw off (the oldcuticle) —used of arthropods

Main Entry: 2molt
Variant: or chiefly British moult
Function: noun
: the act or process of molting; specifically : ECDYSIS
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

molt (mōlt)
v. molt·ed, molt·ing, molts
To shed periodically part or all of a coat or an outer covering, such as feathers, cuticle, or skin, which is then replaced by a new growth. n.

  1. The act or process of molting.

  2. The material cast off during molting.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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