molt
(of birds, insects, reptiles, etc.) to cast or shed the feathers, skin, or the like, that will be replaced by a new growth.
to cast or shed (feathers, skin, etc.) in the process of renewal.
an act, process, or an instance of molting.
something that is dropped in molting.
Origin of molt
1- Also especially British, moult .
Other words from molt
- molter, noun
Words Nearby molt
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use molt in a sentence
Fortunately they are in the same pelage and same stage of molt on the hind legs.
From Thayers note-book of 1857: Circumstance related to me by the son of Mr. molt.
The Life of Ludwig van Beethoven, Volume III (of 3) | Alexander Wheelock ThayerOur specimen had nearly finished with molt and feather growth into adult winter plumage.
Vertebrates from the Barrier Island of Tamaulipas, Mxico | Robert K SelanderThe remaining two adult skins in our series are three-quarters through the molt and are for the most part in fresh winter feather.
Vertebrates from the Barrier Island of Tamaulipas, Mxico | Robert K SelanderThe males at this period among most Ducks deserting their mate to undergo the partial molt before mentioned.
Color Key to North American Birds | Frank M. Chapman
British Dictionary definitions for molt
/ (məʊlt) /
the usual US spelling of moult
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for molt
[ mōlt ]
To shed an outer covering, such as skin or feathers, for replacement by a new growth. Many snakes, birds, and arthropods molt.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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