moult

Meaning

Noun

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.

Verb

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

Synonyms

molt

shed

exuviate

slough

ecdysis

cast off

peel off

molting

remove skin

moulting

shedding

sloughing

strip

break to pieces

grow feathers

shed off the feathers

clean out

expel

extirpate

fall out

pare

pluck

remove

separate

shave

Translations

muer

mue

muda

sich mausern

Mauser

mudar

mudar

muda

mausern

rui

ruien

muta

vervellen

muda

pelechar

Pronounced as (IPA)

/moʊlt/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: mouten

Inherited from Old English: *mutian

In summary

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⟩).