mould1

 
Pronunciation: /məʊld/
(US mold)

noun

  • 1a hollow container used to give shape to molten or hot liquid material when it cools and hardens: the smith would pour the molten metal into the shaped mould a jelly mould
  • a pudding or savoury mousse made in a mould: a lobster mould with a sauce of carrots and port
  • 2 [in singular] a distinctive and typical style, form, or character: he’s a superb striker in the same mould as Gary Lineker he planned to conquer the world as a roving reporter in the mould of his hero
  • archaic form or shape, especially the features or physique of a person or the build of an animal: he was manly in size, mould, and bearing
  • 3a frame or template for producing mouldings: all the moulds, masters or originals, had been kept for reference

verb

[with object]
  • 1form (an object) out of malleable material: mould the figure from white fondant
  • give a shape to (malleable material): take the marzipan and mould it into a cone shape
  • influence the formation or development of: the professionals who were helping to mould US policy
  • 2 (as adjective moulded) (of a column, ceiling, or other part of a building) having a decorative moulding: a corridor with a moulded cornice

Phrases

break the mould

put an end to a restrictive pattern of events or behaviour by doing things in a markedly different way: his work did much to break the mould of the old urban sociology

Derivatives

mouldable

adjective

Origin:

Middle English: apparently from Old French modle, from Latin modulus (see modulus)

Spelling help

Remember that mould and the related word mouldy are spelled with a u after the o (the spellings mold and moldy are American).