verb
- past tense of molt; shed old feathers, hair, skin, or shell to make way for new growth
Usage: biology
Examples
- The snake molted its skin last week.
- Birds molted their winter feathers in preparation for spring.
- The crab molted its shell as it grew larger.
- We found the cicada shell after it had molted.
- The dog molted heavily during the summer months.
- Lobsters must molt several times before reaching maturity.