verb
- to shed feathers, hair, or skin periodically as a natural process
Usage: British spelling; American spelling is 'molt'
noun
- the process or period during which an animal sheds feathers, hair, or skin
Usage: British spelling; American spelling is 'molt'
Examples
- Birds moult their feathers in the fall to prepare for winter.
- The snake will moult several times during its first year of life.
- During moult, dogs shed large amounts of fur around the house.
- Crabs moult to grow larger as they develop.
- The parrot is in its annual moult and has lost many colorful feathers.
- Cats moult year-round, but more heavily in spring and fall.