molt
molt Lexical Profile
molt Game Scores & Validity
• verb
American To shed old feathers, hair, skin, or an outer shell periodically to make way for new growth (of a bird, reptile, arthropod, or mammal).
"Juvenile crabs must molt several times a year as their bodies outgrow their rigid shells."
• noun
American The biological process or period of shedding old feathers, hair, skin, or an exoskeleton to make way for new growth.
"During their annual autumn molt, the ducks temporarily lose their flight feathers and remain near sheltered water."
American The cast-off outer covering, such as skin, feathers, or an exoskeleton, left behind after an animal has shed.
"The biologist discovered the intact molt of a tarantula resting on a flat stone inside the terrarium."
Word Nuance & Usage
"Molt" is the standard American English spelling, whereas British, Australian, and Canadian English predominantly use the spelling "moult." Do not confuse it with "malt" (germinated grain used in brewing and distilling).
• Rhymes for molt
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
From Middle English mouten, from Old English bīmūtian ("to exchange"), borrowed from Latin mūtāre ("to change"), which is also the root of the English word "mutate." The unetymological "l" was inserted in the 16th century, though it eventually became pronounced in modern English.