I. verb
or moult ˈmōlt
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: alteration of Middle English mouten, from (assumed) Old English mūtian to change (as in bimūtian to exchange), from Latin mutare — more at mutable
intransitive verb
: to shed or cast off hair, feathers, shell, horns, or an outer layer of skin in a process of growth or periodic renewal with the cast-off parts being replaced by new growth
birds molt once or twice a year
a mature lobster molts … in the spring or early summer — Joe McCarthy
transitive verb
1. : to cast off (an outer covering) in a periodic process of growth or renewal
molted its wing feathers — National Geographic
the crab molts its shell
specifically : to throw off (the old cuticle) — used of an arthropod
a spider, like a lobster, molts its covering as it grows — Eugene Kinkead
2. : to free oneself from : change
molt his old notions in a transition period
Synonyms: see discard
II. noun
or moult “
( -s )
1. : the act or process of molting
helps hens to lay right through the molt — Poultry Tribune
specifically : ecdysis
2. : a cast-off covering
bare ground … heavily besprinkled with the whitish aphid skins or molts — Journal of Agric. Research
— compare exuviae