MOLD


Meaning of MOLD in English

I. noun

or mould ˈmōld

( -s )

Etymology: Middle English mold, molde, from Old English molde sand, dust, soil; akin to Old High German molta dust, soil, Old Norse mold, Gothic mulde dust, soil, Old High German malan to grind — more at meal

1. : crumbling soft friable earth suited to plant growth : soil ; especially : soil rich in humus — see leaf mold

2. dialect Britain

a. : the surface of the earth : ground

the fairest knight on Scottish mold — Sir Walter Scott

b. : the earth of the burying ground

calling his ghost to the mold — A.P.Graves

— often used in plural

were baith in the molds — Sir Walter Scott

3. archaic : earth that is the substance of the human body

leprous sin will melt from human mold — John Milton

be merciful great Duke to men of mold — Shakespeare

II. verb

also mould “

( -ed/-ing/-s )

intransitive verb

: molder

it was closed for ages, molding away — Angus Mowat

transitive verb

: to cover with soil or mold : hill up

potatoes … should be kept weed-free and molded — New Zealand Journal of Agric.

III. noun

or mould “

( -s )

Usage: often attributive

Etymology: Middle English molde, mold, from Old French modle, molle, moule, from Latin modulus, diminutive of modus measure — more at mode

1. : distinctive nature or character : type , stamp

a philosopher of the grand mold — D.C.Williams

2.

a. : a pattern or template that serves as a guide for construction ; specifically : a thin wood or paper pattern for part of a ship made in a mold loft

b.

(1) : the frame on or around which an object is constructed

laid the dome on a mold of packed earth — Green Peyton

(2) : a wire-covered frame for forming sheets of paper ; especially : one of the cylinders covered with wire cloth that forms the sheet on a cylinder machine

3.

a. : a cavity in which a fluid or malleable substance is given form: as

(1) : a container (as of gypsum, rubber, metal, or wood) in which a piece of ceramic ware is formed

(2) : a form for making bricks

(3) : a metal form for casting cement, mortar, or concrete test specimens

(4) : a matrix in which an article (as of metal, glass, or plastic) is shaped by casting or pressure molding ; specifically : a recessed matrix from which a relief printing surface (as type or a stereotype or electrotype) is cast

(5) : a cooking utensil in which a dish (as a pudding or jelly) is given a decorative shape

(6) : a carved wooden block by means of which a design is pressed into a soft food (as cookie dough or butter)

b. : a molded object

plaster mold

fill the center of the ring mold with cottage cheese

4.

a. : molding

b. : a group of moldings

5.

a. obsolete : an example to be followed

the glass of fashion and the mold of form — Shakespeare

b. : a prototype from which an idea or individual is derived

thou all-shaking thunder … crack nature's molds — Shakespeare

an integral part of the team and cut from the same heroic mold — A.J.Daley

c. : a fixed pattern or contour : design , cast

compresses all these characters into the relentless mold of the story — E.B.Garside

settling in the mold of a dignified, permanent community — Mabel R. Gillis

d. obsolete : a fashionable style : mode

houses of the new mold in London — Peter Heylin

6. : a package of goldbeater's skin usually consisting of about 900 pieces

7.

a. : an impression made in earth or rock by the outside of a fossil shell or other organic form

b. : a cast of the inner surface of such a fossil — compare cast II 7a(2)

8. : a grained copper photoengraving plate with the gelatin image on it ready for etching

IV. verb

or mould “

( -ed/-ing/-s )

Etymology: Middle English molden, from molde, mold, n.

transitive verb

1.

a. archaic : to knead (dough) into a desired consistency or shape

b. : to give shape to (as a fluid or malleable substance)

the wind molds the waves

his long hands molding the air — Time

chemical processes that … are now molding the earth's crust — W.H.Bucher

c. obsolete : to be a component of : help to build

all princely graces that mold up such a mighty piece as this — Shakespeare

2.

a.

(1) : to form by pouring or pressing into a mold

mold a glass bottle

to attain a flare in design it is necessary to mold the plywood into shape — R.J.Whittier

mold a stereotype

(2) : to make a mold from

mold a type form

b. : to form a foundry mold of (as in sand)

c. : to exert influence on : determine the ultimate quality or nature of

mold public opinion

environmental factors which mold the minds and emotions of youngsters — R.H.Wittcoff

the culture of the Western world has been molded by the Bible — I.M.Price

a great scholar who has molded his taste and judgment through reflective reading — E.S.McCastney

3. : to fit the contours of : hug

molded hipline

silhouettes that mold the body — New Yorker

4. : to ornament by molding or carving the material of

ceilings … with molded or precast ornamental patterns — H.S.Morrison

intransitive verb

1. : to become formed : take shape

the Norman man-at-arms had begun to mold into the English country gentleman — Ecclesiologist

2. : to become fitted to a contour : adapt

cloche … so flexible it molds to any head size — New York Times

the river ran, leaped, molded to rocks and leaped again — Philip Murray b.1924

3. : to make or use a mold

the outstanding development in molding — Technical News Bulletin

V. noun

also mould “

( -s )

Etymology: Middle English mowlde, perhaps alteration (influenced by molde soil) of mowle, from moulen to grow moldy; akin to Old Norse mygla to grow moldy — more at mold I

1. : a superficial often woolly growth produced on various forms of organic matter especially when damp or decaying and on living organisms

2. : a fungus especially of the order Mucorales that produces mold — compare black mold , blue mold , mildew

VI. verb

or mould “

( -ed/-ing/-s )

Etymology: Middle English mouleden, from mowlde, n.

transitive verb

obsolete : to allow to become moldy

hoarding housewives that do mold their food — William Browne

intransitive verb

1. : to become moldy

bread tends to mold in damp weather

2. obsolete : to deteriorate for lack of use

the man that molds in idle cell — Edmund Spenser

Webster's New International English Dictionary.      Новый международный словарь английского языка Webster.