molt

[ mohlt ]
See synonyms for molt on Thesaurus.com
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)
  1. to cast or shed (feathers, skin, etc.) in the process of renewal.

noun
  1. an act, process, or an instance of molting.

  2. something that is dropped in molting.

Origin of molt

1
1300–50; earlier mout (with intrusive -l-;cf. fault, assault), Middle English mouten,Old English -mūtian to change (in bi-mūtian to exchange for) <Latin mūtāre to change; see mutate
  • Also especially British, moult .

Other words from molt

  • molter, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use molt in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for molt

molt

/ (məʊlt) /


verb, noun
  1. the usual US spelling of moult

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for molt

molt

[ mōlt ]


  1. To shed an outer covering, such as skin or feathers, for replacement by a new growth. Many snakes, birds, and arthropods molt.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.