moult

English edit

Alternative forms edit

molt (US)

Etymology edit

From Middle English mouten, from Old English *mutian (cf. bemutian), from Latin mūtō, mūtāre. Doublet of mute and mutate. Un-etymological ⟨l⟩ was introduced into the spelling by mistakenly assuming a French origin with -l- (compare fault, vault and solder with correctly restored etymological ⟨l⟩).

Pronunciation edit

(General American) IPA^(key): /moʊlt/
(UK) IPA^(key): /mɒlt/
Audio (Southern England) (file)
(Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /məʊlt/
Rhymes: -əʊlt

Noun edit

moult (plural moults)

The process of shedding or losing a covering of fur, feathers or skin etc.
Synonyms: ecdysis, moulting

Some birds change colour during their winter moult.
The skin or feathers cast off during the process of moulting.
Synonym: exuvia

Derived terms edit

catastrophic moult

Translations edit

process

Chinese:
Mandarin: 換毛／换毛 (zh) (huànmáo), (of birds) 換羽／换羽 (zh) (huànyǔ), 退毛 (zh) (tuìmáo)
Czech: (fur) línání n, (feathers) pelichání n, (skin) svlékání n, přepeření n
Dutch: rui (nl) m
Finnish: karvanlähtö (fi) (of fur); sulkasato (fi) (of feathers); nahanluonti (fi) (of skin)
French: mue (fr) f
Galician: muda (gl) f
German: Mauser (de) f (feathers), Häutung f (skin)
Hungarian: (skin, exoskeleton, fur) vedlés (hu), (feathers) tollhullatás
Indonesian: pergantian kulit (id)
Italian: muta (it), muda
Japanese: 抜け替わり (ぬけかわり, nukekawari)
Kalmyk: хагз (xagz)
Korean: 허물을 벗다 (heomureul beotda)
Maori: turukitanga
Portuguese: muda (pt) f
Romanian: năpârlire (ro) f
Russian: ли́нька (ru) f (línʹka)
Spanish: muda (es) f
Swedish: ömsning, (of feathers) ruggning

skin or feathers cast off

Czech: svlečka f
Finnish: luotu nahka (skin)
French: mue (fr) f
Galician: muda (gl) f
Icelandic: (of insects and reptiles) hamskipti n pl, (of birds) fjaðrafellir m
Japanese: 蛻 (ja) (monuke, nukegara)
Malayalam: പടം (ml) (paṭaṁ) (for snake)

Verb edit

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

(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
(transitive) To shed in such a manner.

Translations edit

to shed hair, feathers, skin, horns etc., as an animal

Azerbaijani: tüləmək
Bulgarian: сменям си перата (smenjam si perata)
Chinese:
Mandarin: 換毛／换毛 (zh) (huànmáo), (of birds) 換羽／换羽 (zh) (huànyǔ), 蛻皮／蜕皮 (zh) (tuìpí)
Czech: línat (cs), pelichat, přesrstit se pf, přepeřit pf, svlékat se (cs) impf
Dutch: ruien (nl) (feathers), muiten (nl) (falcons), vervellen (nl) (skin), verharen (nl) (fur)
Finnish: luoda nahkansa (skin); pudottaa höyhenensä (feathers)
French: muer (fr)
Galician: mudar (gl), esplumar (feathers)
German: mausern (de) (feathers), häuten (de) (skin)
Hungarian: vedlik (hu)
Icelandic: (of insects and reptiles) hleypa hömum, (of birds) fella fjaðrir, (of cats and dogs) fara úr hárum
Italian: mutare (it), fare la muta
Japanese: 抜け替わる (ぬけかわる, nukekawaru), 生え変わる (はえかわる, haekawaru)
Maori: turuki, whakamāunu
Portuguese: mudar (pt)
Romanian: năpârli (ro)
Russian: линя́ть (ru) (linjátʹ)
Slovene: leviti (se) (skin)
Southern Altai: тӱлеер (tüleer)
Spanish: pelechar (es), mudar (es)
Swedish: ömsa (sv), rugga

to shed in such a manner (transitive form)

Czech: svlékat impf (kůži, krunýř), shazovat impf (paroží, srst)
French: muer (fr)
Swedish: ömsa (sv), rugga

French edit

Etymology edit

Inherited from Middle French moult, from Old French mut (with a silent ⟨l⟩ inserted per the Latin etymon), from earlier Old French mult~molt, from Latin multus, from Proto-Indo-European *ml̥tos (“crumbled, crumpled”, past passive participle). After having largely disappeared from the spoken language, where it was replaced by beaucoup, the term is now occasionally heard again, often with a spelling-pronunciation.