molt

M3O1L1T1

A form of moult — The process of shedding or losing a covering of fur, feathers or skin etc.

Similar
moltingmoultmoultingecdysisshedexuviateslough
OriginEnglish moult ← Middle English mouten ← Old English *mutian →
UncommonScrabble 6
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Meanings

molt1

verbmolt (third-person singular simple present molts, present participle molting, simple past and past participle molted)

present singular third person molts · participle present molting · participle past molted · past molted

  1. USstandardUS standard spelling of moult.
nounmolt (plural molts)

plural molts

  1. USstandardUS standard spelling of moult.

molt2

verb
  1. pastraresimple past of melt

Synonyms & antonyms

nounperiodic shedding of the cuticle in arthropods or the outer skin in reptiles

Similar
moltingmoultmoultingecdysis
Broader
sheddingsloughing

verbcast off hair, skin, horn, or feathers

Similar
shedexuviatemoultslough
Broader
shedcastcast off
Also see
ecdysisexuviatemoltingmoultmoultingshedslough

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

molt · verb, noun

  1. Proto-Indo-European*mey-?
  2. Proto-Indo-European*meyth₂-
  3. Latinmūtō
  4. Old English*mutian
  5. Middle Englishmouten
  6. Englishmoult
  7. Englishmolt

From moult.

Full word history & related roots →

molt · verb

  1. Proto-Indo-European*(s)meld-
  2. Proto-Germanic*meltaną
  3. Proto-West Germanic*meltan
  4. Old Englishmeltan
  5. Middle Englishmolte
  6. Englishmolt

From Middle English molte, the 2sg and subj. sg. past tense of melten (“to melt”), and also from a reduced form of molten (the general plural indicative past tense, used with we and they), from Old English multe, multon and multen, respectively the 2sg / subj. sg., plural indicative, and plural subjunctive preterite forms of meltan (“to melt, to digest, to be fully destroyed”).

More words from Middle English, Old English

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

Motl
Cite this entry
APA

molt. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/molt

MLA

“molt.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/molt. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “molt,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/molt.

Source: molt on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.