molder
molder Lexical Profile
molder Game Scores & Validity
• verb
American To slowly decay, rot, or disintegrate into dust through natural decomposition or neglect.
"Stacks of nineteenth-century ledgers were left to molder in the damp, unheated cellar."
American To deteriorate or waste away in vitality, relevance, or effectiveness through prolonged idleness or disuse.
"Ambitious policies often molder in committee for years before ever reaching a vote."
• noun
American A person or machine that shapes, casts, or forms materials (such as molten metal, clay, glass, or plastic) using a mold, especially a skilled foundry worker who prepares sand molds for casting.
"The master molder carefully packed the damp foundry sand around the wooden pattern before pouring the molten iron."
American A person, institution, or force that exercises a strong formative influence on character, public opinion, or cultural development.
"Throughout her long career as an editor, she was respected as a quiet molder of literary taste."
Word Nuance & Usage
Spelled 'moulder' in British and Commonwealth English, this word is actually a homograph combining two separate etymological roots: the verb meaning 'to decay into dust' and the agent noun meaning 'one who shapes or casts materials in a mold.'
• Rhymes for molder
Word Origin & Etymology
The verb meaning 'to crumble or decay' dates to the 16th century as a frequentative derivative of Middle English 'mold' (loose earth or dust, from Old English 'molde') or from a Scandinavian cognate such as Old Norse 'myldra'. The noun meaning 'one who shapes' derives separately from 'mold' (a hollow form or matrix), borrowed via Old French 'modle' from Latin 'modulus' (a small measure).