mold

B2 Topic:Actions & Processes

Also spelled mould

US /moʊld/ UK /məʊld/ See IPA manual

Freq #7775

Meanings

1

verb
To shape a soft material into a particular form.

She carefully molded the wet clay into a small bowl.
2

noun
A hollow container that gives shape to whatever is poured or pressed into it.

Pour the melted chocolate into the mold and let it set.
3

noun
A particular type or character, often of a person.

He is a leader very much in the mold of his old coach.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · to shape a soft material... shape

2 noun · a hollow container that... mould

3 noun · a particular type or... mould

Word family

Forms moldedmoldingmolds

Derived forms antimoldarchmoldbrickmoldcryomolddemoldearmoldheadmoldhoodmoldmicromoldmismoldmold-breakingmoldability

Related forms mildew

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

slime mold
a funguslike organism that can form a moving mass of cell material

Noun + noun

Idioms (1)

See all

break the mould
to do something new and different that sets a new standard

Simplified etymology

Mould has several distinct histories. Mould meaning a container used to shape material has its root in Latin modulus, also the source of model and module. Mould meaning fungal growth entered late Middle English from a Scandinavian word and is unrelated to the container sense. Mould meaning earth, as in leaf mould, is a Germanic word found in Old English.

Etymology

From Middle English mowlde, noun use and alteration of mowled, past participle of mowlen, moulen (“to grow moldy”), from Old Norse mygla (compare dialectal Danish mugle), from Proto-Germanic *muglōną, diminutive and denominative of *mukiz 'soft substance' (compare Old Norse myki, mykr (“cow dung”)), from Proto-Indo-European *mewk- (“slick, soft”). More at muck and meek.

mowlde Middle English mygla Old Norse *muglōną Proto-Germanic *mewk- Proto-Indo-European

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Actions & Processes

External links

# mold

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B2
**Part of speech:** verb, noun
**IPA (US):** /moʊld/
**IPA (UK):** /məʊld/
**Frequency rank:** 7775

## Meanings
1. To shape a soft material into a particular form.
2. A hollow container that gives shape to whatever is poured or pressed into it.
3. A particular type or character, often of a person.

## Examples
- She carefully molded the wet clay into a small bowl.
- Pour the melted chocolate into the mold and let it set.
- He is a leader very much in the mold of his old coach.

## Derived Forms
- antimold
- archmold
- brickmold
- cryomold
- demold
- earmold
- headmold
- hoodmold
- micromold
- mismold
- mold-breaking
- moldability

## Related Forms
- mildew

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: mowlde
- Root: mygla
- Root: *muglōną
- Root: *mewk-

## Etymology
From Middle English mowlde, noun use and alteration of mowled, past participle of mowlen, moulen (“to grow moldy”), from Old Norse mygla (compare dialectal Danish mugle), from Proto-Germanic *muglōną, diminutive and denominative of *mukiz 'soft substance' (compare Old Norse myki, mykr (“cow dung”)), from Proto-Indo-European *mewk- (“slick, soft”). More at muck and meek.

## AI Etymology
Mold comes from Middle English mowlde, noun use and alteration of mowled, past participle of mowlen, moulen (“to grow moldy”), from Old Norse mygla (compare dialectal Danish mugle), from Proto-Germanic *muglōną, diminutive and denominative of *mukiz 'soft substance' (compare Old Norse myki, mykr (“cow dung”)), from Proto-Indo-European *mewk- (“slick, soft”). More at muck and meek. In present-day English its meanings include to shape a soft material into a particular form, a hollow container that gives shape to whatever is poured or pressed into it, and a particular type or character, often of a person. The historical chain runs through mowlde (Middle English), mygla (Old Norse), *muglōną (Proto-Germanic), and *mewk- (Proto-Indo-European).

## Topics
- Actions & Processes

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