verb
- past tense and past participle of moult; shed feathers, hair, skin, or an exoskeleton
Usage: British spelling; American English uses 'molted'; commonly used for birds, mammals, and reptiles
Examples
- The bird moulted its feathers in the spring.
- The snake moulted its skin as it grew larger.
- Our dog moulted heavily during summer.
- The eagle moulted and grew new, stronger feathers.
- Crabs moulted their shells to increase in size.