different between moult vs mould

English

Alternative forms

• molt (American)

Etymology

From Middle English mouten, from Old English *mutian (cf. bemutian), from Latin m?t?, m?t?re. Doublet of mute.

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /mo?lt/
• (UK) IPA^(key): /m?lt/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /m??lt/
• Rhymes: -??lt

Noun

moult (plural moults)

1. The process of shedding or losing a covering of fur, feathers or skin etc.

2. The skin or feathers cast off during the process of moulting.

   Synonym: exuvia

Translations

Verb

moult (third-person singular simple present moults, present participle moulting, simple past and past participle moulted)

1. (intransitive) To shed or lose a covering of hair or fur, feathers, skin, horns, etc, and replace it with a fresh one.

   Synonyms: shed, slough

2. (transitive) To shed in such a manner.

Translations

See also

Further reading

• moulting on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

French

Etymology

From Middle French moult, from Old French molt, mout, mult, from Latin multus, from Proto-Indo-European *ml?tos (“crumbled, crumpled”, past passive participle). After having largely disappeared from standard spoken language, where it was replaced by beaucoup, the adjective form (pronounced /mult/) is now occasionally heard again.

Pronunciation

• (traditional) IPA^(key): /mu/
• (spelling pronunciation) IPA^(key): /mult/, /mul/
• Homophones: mou, mous

Adjective

moult (feminine singular moulte, masculine plural moults, feminine plural moultes)

1. (formerly archaic or regional) many; a lot of

   Synonym: beaucoup

Adverb

moult

1. (archaic or regional) much; a lot

Usage notes

Used both as invariable and variable adjective:

References

Further reading

• “moult” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Anagrams

• mulot

Middle French

Alternative forms

• mlt (manuscript abbreviation)

Etymology

From Old French molt, mout, from Latin multus.

Adverb

moult

1. much; a lot

Descendants

• French: moult

English

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /mo?ld/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /m??ld/
• Rhymes: -??ld

Etymology 1

Via Middle English molde, moulde and Old French molde, from Latin modulus.

Noun

mould (countable and uncountable, plural moulds)

1. (British spelling, Canadian spelling, Australian spelling) Alternative spelling of mold (“hollow form or matrix”)

Translations

Verb

mould (third-person singular simple present moulds, present participle moulding, simple past and past participle moulded)

1. (British spelling, Canadian spelling, Australian spelling) Alternative spelling of mold (“to shape in a mould”)

Translations

Etymology 2

From Middle English mowlde, noun use and alteration of mowled, past participle of moulen, mawlen (“to grow moldy”), from Old Norse mygla (compare dialectal Danish mugle), from Proto-Germanic *mugl?n?, diminutive and denominative of *mukiz (“soft substance”) (compare Old Norse myki, mykr (“cow dung”)), from Proto-Indo-European *mewk- (“slick, soft”). More at muck and meek.

Noun

mould (countable and uncountable, plural moulds)

1. (British spelling, Canadian spelling, Australian spelling) Alternative spelling of mold (“growth of tiny fungi”)

Translations

Verb

mould (third-person singular simple present moulds, present participle moulding, simple past and past participle moulded)

1. (British spelling, Canadian spelling, Australian spelling) Alternative spelling of mold (“to cause to become mouldy”)

Translations

Etymology 3

From Old English molde. Cognate with Old High German molta, Old Norse mold and Gothic ???????????????????? (mulda).

Noun

mould (plural moulds)

1. loose soil, esp when rich in organic matter
2. (poetic) the earth