molt

[ mohlt ]

/ moʊlt /

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verb (used without object)

(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)

to cast or shed (feathers, skin, etc.) in the process of renewal.

noun

an act, process, or an instance of molting.

something that is dropped in molting.

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Also especially British, moult .

Origin of molt

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

OTHER WORDS FROM molt

molter, noun

Words nearby molt

Molokan, Molopo, Molossian, Molotov, Molotov cocktail, molt, molten, Moltke, molto, Moluccas, mol. wt.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use molt in a sentence

Fortunately they are in the same pelage and same stage of molt on the hind legs.
Mammals Obtained by Dr. Curt von Wedel from the Barrier Beach of Tamaulipas, Mexico|E. Raymond Hall
From Thayers note-book of 1857: Circumstance related to me by the son of Mr. Molt.
The Life of Ludwig van Beethoven, Volume III (of 3)|Alexander Wheelock Thayer
Our specimen had nearly finished with molt and feather growth into adult winter plumage.
Vertebrates from the Barrier Island of Tamaulipas, Mxico|Robert K Selander
The remaining two adult skins in our series are three-quarters through the molt and are for the most part in fresh winter feather.
Vertebrates from the Barrier Island of Tamaulipas, Mxico|Robert K Selander

The males at this period among most Ducks deserting their mate to undergo the partial molt before mentioned.
Color Key to North American Birds|Frank M. Chapman

British Dictionary definitions for molt

molt

/ (məʊlt) /

verb, noun

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 ]

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

molt

Origin of molt

OTHER WORDS FROM molt

Words nearby molt

Words related to molt

How to use molt in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for molt

Scientific definitions for molt