1350–1400; Middle English molle; akin to Middle Dutch, Middle Low German mol
| a scrap or morsel of food left at a meal. |
| a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes. |
1540–50; < Latin mōlēs mass, dam, mole
leɪ; Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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mole1 (məʊl) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n | |
| pathol a nontechnical name for naevus | |
| [Old English māl; related to Old High German meil spot] | |
| mole2 (məʊl) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | any small burrowing mammal, of the family Talpidae, of Europe, Asia, and North and Central America: order Insectivora (insectivores). They have velvety, typically dark fur and forearms specialized for digging |
| 2. | golden mole any small African burrowing molelike mammal of the family Chrysochloridae, having copper-coloured fur: order Insectivora (insectivores) |
| 3. | informal a spy who has infiltrated an organization and, often over a long period, become a trusted member of it |
| [C14: from Middle Dutch mol, of Germanic origin; compare Middle Low German mol] | |
| mole3 (məʊl) | |
| —n | |
| mol the basic SI unit of amount of substance; the amount that contains as many elementary entities as there are atoms in 0.012 kilogram of carbon-12. The entity must be specified and may be an atom, a molecule, an ion, a radical, an electron, a photon, etc | |
| [C20: from German Mol, short for Molekül | |
| mole4 (məʊl) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | a breakwater |
| 2. | a harbour protected by a breakwater |
| 3. | a large tunnel excavator for use in soft rock |
| [C16: from French môle, from Latin mōlēs mass] | |
| mole5 (məʊl) | |
| —n | |
| pathol a fleshy growth in the uterus formed by the degeneration of fetal tissues | |
| [C17: medical use of Latin mola millstone] | |
| mole6 (ˈməʊleɪ) | |
| —n | |
| a spicy Mexican sauce made from chili and chocolate | |
| [C20: from Mexican Spanish from Nahuatl molli sauce] | |
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mole
mole
"To much amplifying thinges yt. be but small, makyng mountaines of Molehils." [John Foxe, "Acts and Monuments," 1570]
mole
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mole 1 (mōl)
n.
A small congenital growth on the skin, usually slightly raised and dark and sometimes hairy, especially a pigmented nevus. Also called nevus pigmentosus.
mole 2
n.
A fleshy abnormal mass formed in the uterus by the degeneration or abortive development of an ovum.
See hydatidiform mole.
mole 3 or mol (mōl)
n.
The amount of a substance that contains as many atoms, molecules, ions, or other elementary units as the number of atoms in 0.012 kilogram of carbon 12. The number is 6.0225 × 1023, or Avogadro's number. Also called gram molecule.
The mass in grams of this amount of a substance, numerically equal to the molecular weight of the substance. Also called gram-molecular weight.
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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mole 1  (mōl) Pronunciation Key
A small, usually pigmented, benign growth on the skin. |
| mole 2 (mōl) Pronunciation Key
The amount of an element, compound, or other substance that has the same number of basic particles as 12 grams of Carbon-12. The number of particles making up a mole is Avogadro's number. For elements and compounds, the mass of one mole, in grams, is roughly equal to the atomic or molecular weight of the substance. For example, carbon dioxide, CO2, has a molecular weight of 44; therefore, one mole of it weighs 44 grams. |
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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Mole definition
Heb. tinshameth (Lev. 11:30), probably signifies some species of lizard (rendered in R.V., "chameleon"). In Lev. 11:18, Deut. 14:16, it is rendered, in Authorized Version, "swan" (R.V., "horned owl"). The Heb. holed (Lev. 11:29), rendered "weasel," was probably the mole-rat. The true mole (Talpa Europoea) is not found in Palestine. The mole-rat (Spalax typhlus) "is twice the size of our mole, with no external eyes, and with only faint traces within of the rudimentary organ; no apparent ears, but, like the mole, with great internal organs of hearing; a strong, bare snout, and with large gnawing teeth; its colour a pale slate; its feet short, and provided with strong nails; its tail only rudimentary." In Isa. 2:20, this word is the rendering of two words _haphar peroth_, which are rendered by Gesenius "into the digging of rats", i.e., rats' holes. But these two Hebrew words ought probably to be combined into one (lahporperoth) and translated "to the moles", i.e., the rat-moles. This animal "lives in underground communities, making large subterranean chambers for its young and for storehouses, with many runs connected with them, and is decidedly partial to the loose debris among ruins and stone-heaps, where it can form its chambers with least trouble."
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