molt

American  

[mohlt] / moʊlt /

especially British, moult

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.

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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.

molt British  

/ məʊlt /

verb

1. the usual US spelling of moult

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molt Scientific  

/ mōlt /

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

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Other Word Forms

• molter noun

Etymology

Origin of molt

1300–50; earlier mout (with intrusive -l-; fault, assault ), Middle English mouten, Old English -mūtian to change (in bi-mūtian to exchange for) < Latin mūtāre to change; mutate

Example Sentences

Filming took place between October and January, to avoid molting season.

From Los Angeles Times

“But that seriously set back the bird’s rehabilitation because now it has to go through a complete molt to be able to grow those feathers back.”

From Los Angeles Times

Which pollutants stick, and which ones molt away?

From Los Angeles Times

Yes, a man captured the way independent women prize their freedom more than having to deal with a man that’s always there “molting,” as Lois puts it.

From Salon

Versatile and resilient, the lobster survives by molting, shedding its skin and growing into a new, bigger shell.

From New York Times