mola

¹ American  

[moh-luh] / ˈmoʊ lə /

noun

plural

mola,

plural

molas

1. any of several thin, silvery fishes of the family Molidae, of tropical and temperate seas.

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mola ² American  

[moh-luh, maw-lah] / ˈmoʊ lə, ˈmɔ lɑ /

noun

plural

molas

1. a colorfully appliquéd piece of fabric handcrafted by the Cuna Indian women of the islands in the Gulf of San Blas and used for clothing, decoration, etc.

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mola British  

/ ˈməʊlə /

noun

1. another name for sunfish

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Etymology

Origin of mola¹

1595–1605; < Latin: millstone; so called from its shape

Origin of mola²

1940–45; < Cuna: clothing, blouse, mola

Example Sentences

There are three species of these sunfish—Mola mola, Mola tecta and Mola alexandrini—which can be difficult to tell apart without genetic analysis.

From Scientific American • Oct. 20, 2022

And if you like weird and appealing, the Mola mola, or ocean sunfish, makes a similar appearance.

From New York Times • Mar. 22, 2018

Today, 1,365 women on 17 islands turn out thousands of dollars' worth of mola products each year, from pillows and purses to the traditional squares.

From Time Magazine Archive

It was the mola that also brought the Peace Corps to San Blas.

From Time Magazine Archive

The Orthagoriscus mola, a whimsical-looking creature, like the head of a large fish severed from its body.

From The Sailor's Word-Book An Alphabetical Digest of Nautical Terms, including Some More Especially Military and Scientific, but Useful to Seamen; as well as Archaisms of Early Voyagers, etc. by Belcher, Edward, Sir