molting
2
6.1
- noun
- /ˈmoʊltɪŋ/
- Specialized
:
muda
- During the spring, many birds undergo molting to replace their worn-out feathers.
- molting and growth
Examples
-
Yes, that's important, especially during the molting season.
-
Young horseshoe crabs encounter the same problem but deal with it through rapid growth, frequent moltings, and burrowing.
Academic text (2002) -
Molting is a natural process.
-
As they repopulate the beach, you can see them in all stages of molting.
Academic text (2009) -
The chickens lost all their feathers (molting, it turns out).
Blog text (2) -
During molting season, they would come back with an armful and arrange them in vases, like flowers.
Fiction book (1992) -
Little information presently exists on the molting and recruitment patterns of slipper lobsters.
Academic text (1990) -
Jackie reminds Gimp that squabs prefer barley during the molting season.
Fiction book (1996) -
Molting is a crucial process that allows molting animals to grow by shedding their old skin.
-
The turtle's molting process helps to renew its shell as it grows larger.
Synonyms
3
3.4
Losing hair or leaves naturally from animals and plants
3
6.7
The act of shedding old feathers, skin, hair, or shell so new ones can grow
A process animals like insects or snakes use to shed old skin to grow
Antonyms
How Extensive
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
The word molting comes from the old word moult, meaning 'to shed' or 'to cast off'. Think of a bird taking off its old 'coat' of feathers or a crab leaving its old shell so a new one can grow, and that is exactly what molting means today.