MOLE


Meaning of MOLE in English

/ məʊl; NAmE moʊl/ noun

1.

a small animal with dark grey fur, that is almost blind and digs tunnels under the ground to live in

—see also molehill

2.

a small dark brown mark on the skin, sometimes slightly higher than the skin around it

—compare freckle

3.

a person who works within an organization and secretly passes important information to another organization or country

4.

( chemistry ) a unit for measuring the amount of substance

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WORD ORIGIN

sense 1 and sense 3 late Middle English : from the Germanic base of Middle Dutch and Middle Low German mol .

sense 2 Old English māl discoloured spot , of Germanic origin.

sense 4 early 20th cent.: from German Mol , from Molekul , from Latin molecula , diminutive of Latin moles mass.

Oxford Advanced Learner's English Dictionary.      Оксфордский английский словарь для изучающик язык на продвинутом уровне.