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moult

Pronunciation: /məʊlt/

(US molt)

Definition of moult

[no object]

(of an animal) shed old feathers, hair, or skin to make way for a new growth:the adult birds were already moulting [with object]:the snake moults its skin
(of hair or feathers) fall out to make way for new growth:the last of his juvenile plumage had moulted

a loss of feathers, hair, or skin, especially as a regular feature of an animal’s life cycle: the mountain goat is brilliant white after the autumn moult in the complete life cycle there are four moults

Origin:

Middle English moute, from an Old English verb based on Latin mutare 'to change'. For the intrusive -l-, compare with words such as fault

Remember that moult is spelled with a u after the o (the spelling molt is American).

Definition of moult in the US English dictionary

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