Definition

1. Noun:

   • Periodic shedding of the cuticle or outer skin: The process in which an animal, such as an arthropod or reptile, sheds its outer layer (cuticle, skin, feathers, or hair) to allow for growth or renewal.

2. Verb:

   • To cast off hair, skin, horn, or feathers: To shed an outer covering, such as feathers, hair, or skin, as part of a natural, cyclical process.

Usage and Examples

• Noun:

  • The crab's molt left a perfect, empty shell on the beach.
  • During its annual molt, the snake's skin becomes dull and opaque.

• Verb:

  • Birds molt their feathers to replace worn ones.
  • The caterpillar will molt several times before forming a chrysalis.

Advanced Usage

• "to be in molt": To be undergoing the process of shedding.
  • The eagle is in molt and cannot fly as efficiently.
• "to molt into": To shed an old form and emerge in a new one (often figurative).
  • The company hopes to molt into a more modern organization.

Variants and Related Words

• Moult: The British English spelling variant of "molt". The meaning is identical.
  • The bird is beginning to moult.
• Molting/Moulting (adj/n): The process or state of shedding.
  • The molting process is energy-intensive for the animal.

Synonyms

• Shed: To cast off naturally.
• Slough: To cast off dead skin, especially in reptiles.
• Exuviate: A formal, biological term for shedding an outer covering.

Related Phrasal Verbs/Constructions

(Note: "Molt" is not commonly used with particles to form phrasal verbs. The action is typically expressed directly.) - Molt off: To shed completely (less common). - The insect will molt off its entire exoskeleton.

Related Idioms

(Note: There are no common idioms centered solely on the word "molt." The concept is typically used in its literal, biological sense.)

Noun

1. periodic shedding of the cuticle in arthropods or the outer skin in reptiles

Verb

1. cast off hair, skin, horn, or feathers
   • our dog sheds every Spring