I. mole ˈmōl noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English mool, mole, from Old English māl spot, blemish; akin to Old High German meil spot, Gothic mail wrinkle, and perhaps to Greek miainein to pollute, defile, Lithuanian maiva swamp
1. archaic : a discolored spot in cloth : stain
2.
a. : a congenital spot, mark, or small permanent protuberance on the human body ; especially : a pigmented nevus
b. obsolete : an identifying mark or blemish
a mole in the fair face of church government — Nathaniel Bacon
II. mole transitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Middle English molen, from mool, mole, n.
archaic : stain , discolor
III. mole noun
( -s )
Usage: often attributive
Etymology: Middle English; akin to Middle Dutch mol mole, Middle Low German mul, mol mole, and probably to Old English molde soil — more at mold
1.
a. : any of numerous burrowing mammals chiefly of the family Talpidae living mainly in temperate parts of Europe, Asia, and No. America and having minute eyes often covered with skin, small concealed ears, very soft and often iridescent fur, and strong fossorial feet
b. : mole cricket
c. : mole rat
d. : the short dense velvety pelt of the mole used as a fur — called also moleskin
2. archaic : a blind man or one who works in a dark place
well said, old mole ! canst work in the earth so fast — Shakespeare
3.
a. : the borer of a mole plow
b. : mole plow
4. or mole gray
a. : a nearly neutral, slightly bluish, dark gray that is lighter and slightly greener than pewter — called also moleskin
b. : taupe 1
IV. mole intransitive verb
( moled ; moled ; moling ; moles )
: to make or traverse an underground passage : burrow , tunnel
enemy remnants … had moled in under the wreckage — Infantry Journal
the diversion tunnel moled 1161 feet through an almost solid rock canyon wall — Civil Engineering
specifically : to make a mole drain
V. mole noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle French, from Old Italian molo, from Late Greek mōlos, from Latin moles, literally, mass, exertion; akin to Old English mēthe weary, Old High German muodi, Old Norse mōthr weary, Gothic af mauiths exhausted, Greek mōlos exertion, Russian mayat' to fatigue, torment, annoy
1.
a. : a mound or massive work formed of masonry and large stones or earth laid in the sea as a pier or breakwater
b. : the harbor formed by such a work
2.
[Latin moles ]
obsolete : a large piece : mass , bulk
3.
[Latin moles, literally, mass, exertion]
: an ancient Roman tomb or mausoleum
VI. mole noun
( -s )
Etymology: French môle, from Latin mola mooncalf, mole (literally, mill, millstone); translation of Greek mylē (literally, millstone) — more at mill
: an abnormal mass in the uterus:
a. : a blood clot containing a degenerated fetus and its membranes
b. : hydatidiform mole
VII. mole noun
also mol “
( -s )
Etymology: German mol, short for molekulargewicht molecular weight, from molekular molecular + gewicht weight
: the quantity of a chemical substance that has a weight in mass units (as grams or pounds) numerically equal to the molecular weight or that in the case of a gas has a volume occupied by such a weight under specified conditions (as 22.4 liters at 0° C and a pressure of 760 millimeters of mercury) ; especially : gram molecule
a mole of any substance contains the same number of molecules — Farrington Daniels & R.A.Alberty
VIII. mo·le ˈmō(ˌ)lā noun
Usage: usually capitalized
: mossi
IX. mo·le ˈmōlē noun
( -s )
Etymology: Mexican Spanish, from Nahuatl mulli, molli sauce, stew
: a highly spiced sauce made principally of chile and chocolate but containing numerous other ingredients and served with meat (as beef or turkey)
X. mole noun
: a spy who establishes a cover long before beginning espionage and who usually has reached a responsible position in the organization being spied on ; broadly : one within an organization who passes on inside information