/moʊlt/, /mɒlt/, /məʊlt/
OriginFrom Middle English mouten, from Old English *mutian (cf. bemutian), from Latin mūtō, mūtāre. Doublet of mute and mutate. Un-etymological ⟨l⟩ was introduced into the spelling by mistakenly assuming a French origin with -l- (compare fault, vault and solder with correctly restored etymological ⟨l⟩).
- The process of shedding or losing a covering of fur, feathers or skin etc.
“Some birds change colour during their winter moult.”
- The skin or feathers cast off during the process of moulting.
- intransitiveTo shed or lose a covering of hair or fur, feathers, skin, horns, etc, and replace it with a fresh one.
- transitiveTo shed in such a manner.
Formsmoults(plural) · molt(alternative, US) · moults(present, singular, third-person) · moulting(participle, present) · moulted(participle, past) · moulted(past) · Moults(plural)