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definitions

mold

1
[mohld]
See more synonyms for mold on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a hollow form or matrix for giving a particular shape to something in a molten or plastic state.
  2. the shape created or imparted to a thing by a mold.
  3. something formed in or on a mold: a mold of jelly.
  4. a frame on which something is formed or made.
  5. shape or form.
  6. a prototype, example, or precursor.
  7. a distinctive nature, character, or type: a person of a simple mold.
  8. Shipbuilding.
    1. a three-dimensional pattern used to shape a plate after it has been softened by heating.
    2. a template for a frame.
  9. Architecture.
    1. a molding.
    2. a group of moldings.
verb (used with object)
  1. to work into a required shape or form; shape.
  2. to shape or form in or on a mold.
  3. Metallurgy. to form a mold of or from, in order to make a casting.
  4. to produce by or as if by shaping material; form.
  5. to have influence in determining or forming: to mold the character of a child.
  6. to ornament with moldings.
Also especially British, mould.

Origin of mold

1
1175–1225; (noun) Middle English molde < Old French modle < Latin modulus module; (v.) Middle English, derivative of the noun
Related formsmold·a·ble, mould·a·ble, adjectivemold·a·bil·i·ty, mould·a·bil·i·ty, noun

mold

2
[mohld]
noun
  1. a growth of minute fungi forming on vegetable or animal matter, commonly as a downy or furry coating, and associated with decay or dampness.
  2. any of the fungi that produce such a growth.
verb (used with or without object)
  1. to become or cause to become overgrown or covered with mold.
Also especially British, mould.

Origin of mold

2
1150–1200; late Middle English mowlde, apparently noun use of variant of earlier mowled, past participle of moulen, mawlen to grow moldy, cognate with dialectal Danish mugle
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for moulding

fashion, divide, hack, chisel, shape, slice, engrave, etch, mold, sculpt, trim, cleave, hew, indent, form, pattern, chip, stipple, tool, incise

Examples from the Web for moulding

Contemporary Examples of moulding

Historical Examples of moulding

  • Moreover he made pottery, moulding the clay with his hand, and baking it in a fire.

    English Villages

    P. H. Ditchfield

  • He had not been born right, and he had not been helped any by the moulding he had received at the hands of society.

    White Fang

    Jack London

  • The plastic fingers were at work about her, moulding her into what she must be as a woman.

    A Spirit in Prison

    Robert Hichens

  • None so humble but he has his share in moulding the destiny of the race.

  • Inside was a large room in which fifty workers were carving or moulding.

British Dictionary definitions for moulding

moulding

US molding

noun
  1. architect
    1. a shaped outline, esp one used on cornices, etc
    2. a shaped strip made of wood, stone, etc
  2. something moulded

mold

noun, verb
  1. the US spelling of mould 1
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
Word Origin and History for moulding

mold

n.1

also mould, "hollow shape," c.1200, originally "fashion, form; nature, native constitution, character," metathesized from Old French modle "model, plan, copy; way, manner" (12c., Modern French moule), from Latin modulum (nominative modulus) "measure, model," diminutive of modus "manner" (see mode (1)). From c.1300 as "pattern or model by which something is shaped or made." To break the mold "render impossible the creation of another" is from 1560s.

mold

n.2

also mould, "furry fungus," early 15c., probably from moulde, past participle of moulen "to grow moldy" (early 13c.), related to Old Norse mygla "grow moldy," possibly from Proto-Germanic *(s)muk- indicating "wetness, slipperiness," from PIE *meug- (see mucus). Or it might have evolved from (or been influenced by) Old English molde "loose earth" (see mold (n.3)).

mold

n.3

also mould, "loose earth," Old English molde "earth, sand, dust, soil; land, country, world," from Proto-Germanic *mulda (cf. Old Frisian molde "earth, soil," Old Norse mold "earth," Middle Dutch moude, Dutch moude, Old High German molta "dust, earth," Gothic mulda "dust"), from PIE root *mele- "to rub, grind" (see meal (n.2)). Specifically, since late (Christian) Old English, "the earth of the grave."

mold

v.

also mould, mid-14c., "to mix, blend;" late 14c. "to knead, shape," from mold (n.1). Figurative sense (of character, etc.) is from c.1600. Related: Molded; molding.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
moulding in Science

mold

[mōld]
  1. Any of various fungi that often form a fuzzy growth (called a mycelium) on the surface of organic matter. Some molds cause food to spoil, but others are beneficial, such as those used to make certain cheeses and those from which antibiotics like penicillin are developed. The molds do not form a distinct phylogenetic grouping but belong to various phyla including the ascomycetes and the zygomycetes. See also slime mold.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Idioms and Phrases with moulding

mold

see cast in the same mold.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.