molting

molt  (mlt)

v. molt·ed, molt·ing, molts

v.intr.

To shed periodically part or all of a coat or an outer covering, such as feathers, cuticle, or skin, which is then replaced by a new growth.

v.tr.

To shed or cast off (a bodily covering).

n.

1. The act or process of molting.

2. The material cast off during molting.

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[Alteration of Middle English mouten, from Old English -mtian (in bemtian, to exchange for), from Latin mtre, to change; see mei-¹ in Indo-European roots.]

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molter n.

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

molting - periodic shedding of the cuticle in arthropods or the outer skin in reptiles ecdysis, molt, moult, moulting shedding, sloughing - the process whereby something is shed