mold
pronunciation
How to pronounce mold in British English:
UK [məʊld]
How to pronounce mold in American English:
US [moʊld]
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- Noun:
- the distinctive form in which a thing is made
- container into which liquid is poured to create a given shape when it hardens
- loose soil rich in organic matter
- the process of becoming mildewed
- a fungus that produces a superficial growth on various kinds of damp or decaying organic matter
- sculpture produced by molding
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- Verb:
- form in clay, wax, etc
- become moldy; spoil due to humidity
- form by pouring (e.g., wax or hot metal) into a cast or mold
- make something, usually for a specific function
- fit tightly, follow the contours of
- shape or influence; give direction to
Word Origin
- mold (n.1)
- also mould, "hollow shape," c. 1200, originally "fashion, form; nature, native constitution, character," metathesized from Old French modle "model, plan, copy; way, manner" (12c., Modern French moule), from Latin modulum (nominative modulus) "measure, model," diminutive of modus "manner" (see mode (1)). From c. 1300 as "pattern or model by which something is shaped or made." To break the mold "render impossible the creation of another" is from 1560s.
- mold (n.2)
- also mould, "furry fungus," early 15c., probably from moulde, past participle of moulen "to grow moldy" (early 13c.), related to Old Norse mygla "grow moldy," possibly from Proto-Germanic *(s)muk- indicating "wetness, slipperiness," from PIE *meug- (see mucus). Or it might have evolved from (or been influenced by) Old English molde "loose earth" (see mold (n.3)).
- mold (n.3)
- also mould, "loose earth," Old English molde "earth, sand, dust, soil; land, country, world," from Proto-Germanic *mulda (cognates: Old Frisian molde "earth, soil," Old Norse mold "earth," Middle Dutch moude, Dutch moude, Old High German molta "dust, earth," Gothic mulda "dust"), from PIE root *mele- "to rub, grind" (see meal (n.2)). Specifically, since late (Christian) Old English, "the earth of the grave."
- mold (v.)
- also mould, mid-14c., "to mix, blend;" late 14c. "to knead, shape," from mold (n.1). Figurative sense (of character, etc.) is from c. 1600. Related: Molded; molding.
Example
- 1. Even within the mold community there are evil molds .
- 2. And low moisture means less room for mold to grow .
- 3. Don 't use dry-cleaning bags ; they 're too thin and can promote mold .
- 4. Mold can grow even under refrigeration , and aging cheese is a good example of that .
- 5. For example , when you find a lemon with blue mold , that 's a disease the lemon got in the field .