mold
UK /məʊld/ · US /moʊld/ noun, verb, proper noun
Also a form of mole
Forms molds molding molded mould mool
- noun A hollow form or matrix for shaping a fluid or plastic substance.
- noun A frame or model around or on which something is formed or shaped.
- noun Something that is made in or shaped on a mold.
- noun The shape or pattern of a mold.
- noun General shape or form. “the oval mold of her face”
- noun Distinctive character or type. “a leader in the mold of her predecessors”
- noun A fixed or restrictive pattern or form. “His method of scientific investigation broke the mold and led to a new discovery.”
- noun (architecture) A group of moldings. “the arch mold of a porch or doorway; the pier mold of a Gothic pier, meaning the whole profile, section, or combination of parts”
- verb (transitive) To shape in or on a mold; to form into a particular shape; to give shape to.
- verb (transitive) To guide or determine the growth or development of; influence
- verb (transitive) To fit closely by following the contours of.
- verb (transitive) To make a mold of or from (molten metal, for example) before casting.
- verb (transitive) To ornament with moldings.
- verb (intransitive) To be shaped in or as if in a mold. “These shoes gradually molded to my feet.”
- noun A natural substance in the form of a furry or woolly growth of tiny fungi that appears when organic material lies for a long time exposed to (usually warm and moist) air. “She took the cheese out of the refrigerator and inspected it for mold.”
- noun A fungus that creates such furry growths.
- verb (transitive) To cause to become moldy; to cause mold to grow upon.
- verb (intransitive) To become moldy; to be covered or filled, in whole or in part, with a mold.
- noun Loose friable soil, rich in humus and fit for planting.
- noun (UK, dialectal, chiefly plural) Earth, ground.
Synonyms
moulder MoLDer cast mould stamp mildew molding moulding modeling clay sculpture model shape form work forge determine influence regulate
Etymology
From Middle English molde (“mold, cast”), from Old French modle, mole, from Latin modulus, from Latin modus. Doublet of module, modulus, and model.
From Middle English mowlde, noun use and alteration of mowled, past participle of mowlen, moulen (“to grow moldy”), from Old Norse mygla (compare dialectal Danish mugle), from Proto-Germanic *muglōną, diminutive and denominative of *mukiz 'soft substance' (compare Old Norse myki, mykr (“cow dung”)), from Proto-Indo-European *mewk- (“slick, soft”). More at muck and meek.
From Middle English molde, from Old English molde, from Proto-Germanic *muldō (“dirt, soil”) (compare Old Frisian molde, Middle Dutch moude, Dutch moude, obsolete German Molte, Norwegian Bokmål mold, and Gothic 𐌼𐌿𐌻𐌳𐌰 (mulda)), from Proto-Indo-European *ml̥h₂-téh₂ (compare Ashkun mič, Kamkata-viri muři, mřey, mřëi, Prasuni mire, Waigali muk, all meaning "clay").
From Middle English molde (“top of the head”), from Old English molda, molde, from Proto-West Germanic *moldō, from Proto-Germanic *muldô, from a Proto-Indo-European *ml̥Hdʰṓ, parallel to Sanskrit मूर्धन् (mūrdhán).
Webster’s 1913
- noun A spot; a blemish; a mole. [Obs.] Spenser.
- noun Crumbling, soft, friable earth; esp., earth containing the remains or constituents of organic matter, and suited to the growth of plants; soil.
- noun Earthy material; the matter of which anything is formed; composing substance; material.
- verb To cover with mold or soil. [R.]
Etymology [See Mo a spot.]
Etymology [OE. molde, AS. molde; akin to D. mul, G. mull, mulm, OHG. molt, molta, Icel. mold, Dan. muld, Sw. mull, Goth. mulda, and E. meal flour. See Meal, and cf. Mole an animal, Mull, v.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “mold”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details