mole

¹

[ mohl ]

noun

1. any of various small insectivorous mammals, especially of the family Talpidae, living chiefly underground, and having velvety fur, very small eyes, and strong forefeet:

   I stopped hating the moles in my rose garden when I realized they were eating the Japanese beetle grubs.

2. a spy who becomes part of and works from within the ranks of an enemy governmental staff or intelligence agency: Compare double agent.

   There is always a risk that the mole may defect to the enemy.

3. Machinery. a large, powerful machine for boring through earth or rock, used in the construction of tunnels:

   He worked as a mechanic on the mole that created our subway tunnels.

mole

²

[ mohl ]

noun

1. a small, congenital spot or blemish on the human skin, usually of a dark color, slightly elevated, and sometimes hairy; nevus:

   The pamphlet explains why it's important to monitor changes in a mole's color or shape.

mole

³

[ mohl ]

noun

1. a massive structure, especially of stone, set up in the water, as for a breakwater, pier, or causeway: a mole may be topped with pierlike wooden planking, but unlike a typical pier, the mole does not allow water to pass under it:

   Islanders are raising money to restore the mole that once ran to the mainland.

2. an anchorage or harbor protected by such a structure:

   For our small fleet of boats, this mole has been most accommodating.

mole

⁴

or mol

[ mohl ]

noun

, Chemistry.

1. the basic unit in the International System of Units (SI), representing the amount of a substance expressed in grams containing as many atoms, molecules, or ions as the number of atoms in 12 grams of carbon-12 (which is Avogadro's number, or 6.022 × 10 23 ):

   To express the concentration of the substance in solution, use moles per liter.

mole

⁵

[ mohl ]

noun

, Pathology, Embryology.

1. molar pregnancy.

mole

⁶

[ moh-ley; Spanish maw-le ]

noun

, Mexican Cooking.

1. a spicy sauce typically flavored with dark chocolate, chile peppers, and spices, usually served with turkey or chicken:

   Have you tried making your mole in a slow cooker?

mole

¹

/ ˈməʊleɪ /

noun

1. a spicy Mexican sauce made from chili and chocolate

mole

²

/ məʊl /

noun

1. pathol a nontechnical name for naevus

mole

³

/ məʊl /

noun

1. pathol a fleshy growth in the uterus formed by the degeneration of fetal tissues

mole

⁴

/ məʊl /

noun

1. the basic SI unit of amount of substance; the amount that contains as many elementary entities as there are atoms in 0.012 kilogram of carbon-12. The entity must be specified and may be an atom, a molecule, an ion, a radical, an electron, a photon, etc mol

mole

⁵

/ məʊl /

noun

1. a breakwater
2. a harbour protected by a breakwater
3. a large tunnel excavator for use in soft rock

mole

⁶

/ məʊl /

noun

1. any small burrowing mammal, of the family Talpidae, of Europe, Asia, and North and Central America: order Insectivora (insectivores). They have velvety, typically dark fur and forearms specialized for digging
2. golden mole
   any small African burrowing molelike mammal of the family Chrysochloridae, having copper-coloured fur: order Insectivora (insectivores)
3. informal.
   a spy who has infiltrated an organization and, often over a long period, become a trusted member of it

mole

¹

/ mōl /

1. A small, usually pigmented, benign growth on the skin.

mole

²

/ mōl /

1. The amount of an element, compound, or other substance that has the same number of basic particles as 12 grams of Carbon-12. The number of particles making up a mole is Avogadro's number. For elements and compounds, the mass of one mole, in grams, is roughly equal to the atomic or molecular weight of the substance. For example, carbon dioxide, CO 2 , has a molecular weight of 44; therefore, one mole of it weighs 44 grams.

Word History and Origins

Origin of mole¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English molle; akin to Middle Dutch, Middle Low German mol

Origin of mole²

First recorded before 1000; Middle English; Old English māl; akin to Old High German meil “spot,” Gothic mail “wrinkle”

Origin of mole³

First recorded in 1540–50; from Latin mōlēs “mass, dam, mole”

Origin of mole⁴

First recorded in 1900–05; from German Mol, short for Molekül, the German word for molecule

Origin of mole⁵

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English mola, from Latin mola, “millstone, false conception”

Origin of mole⁶

First recorded in 1880–85; from Mexican Spanish, from Nahuatl mōlli “sauce, gravy”; guacamole

Word History and Origins

Origin of mole¹

C20: from Mexican Spanish from Nahuatl molli sauce

Origin of mole²

Old English māl; related to Old High German meil spot

Origin of mole³

C17: medical use of Latin mola millstone

Origin of mole⁴

C20: from German Mol, short for Molekül molecule

Origin of mole⁵

C16: from French môle, from Latin mōlēs mass

Origin of mole⁶

C14: from Middle Dutch mol, of Germanic origin; compare Middle Low German mol

Example Sentences

Silken, rich and fragrant with spices, Guelaguetza’s moles are a thing of beauty in all their colors and flavors.

From Los Angeles Times

The BBC compared this footage with photographs of Andrei from hundreds of social media profiles and found a match - the same hairline, the same mole on the neck, and clear evidence of a leg injury.

From BBC

There’s Claro, an Oaxacan restaurant that makes everything by hand, including the masa, cheese, chorizo and moles.

From Salon

Chappell has gathered inspiration from the Divine, wearing a look similar to her “Pink Flamingos” style of over-drawn lips, a mole and blue eyeshadow – what do you think of this homage?

From Salon

He investigates a service that promises to make him incorporeal, to “get rid of the burden of having a body” — because of that “mole,” I guess.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• informer