moult

US molt

/ (məʊlt) /

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verb

(of birds, mammals, reptiles, and arthropods) to shed (feathers, hair, skin, or cuticle)

noun

the periodic process of moultingSee also ecdysis

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Derived forms of moult

moulter or US molter, noun

Word Origin for moult

C14 mouten, from Old English mūtian, as in bimūtian to exchange for, from Latin mūtāre to change

Words nearby moult

mouldy fig, moulin, Moulin Rouge, Moulins, Moulmein, moult, Moultrie, mound, moundbird, mound builder, moundsman

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

How to use moult in a sentence

As lobsters grow, they moult their hard exoskeletons—often eating them—which means that they can reach astonishing sizes.
My Big, Buttery Lobster Roll Rumble: We Came, We Clawed, We Conquered|Scott Bixby|June 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It begins: 'Moult vaut mieux pleure-chante que ne fait chante-pleure.'
Chaucer's Works, Volume 1 (of 7) -- Romaunt of the Rose; Minor Poems|Geoffrey Chaucer
The larvae moult three times, and after each moulting appear yellow, soon changing to a black.
Journal of Entomology and Zoology, March 1917|Various
They were all young ones, waiting for the completion of their second moult before taking to the sea.
The Home of the Blizzard|Douglas Mawson

A few of the larger chicks had commenced to moult, the change of plumage being observed on the flippers.
The Home of the Blizzard|Douglas Mawson
Plants do not flower or shed their leaves, nor do birds moult, pair, or breed simultaneously.
The Desert World|Arthur Mangin