English word origin

Etymology of molt

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *mey-? Proto-Indo-European *meyth₂-der. Latin mūtōder. Old English *mutian Middle English mouten English moult English molt From moult.

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗

verb

US standard spelling of moult.

noun

US standard spelling of moult.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *mey-? Proto-Indo-European *meyth₂-der. Latin mūtōder. Old English *mutian Middle English mouten English moult English molt From moult.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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        "1": "en",
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        "3": "moult",
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        "tree": "1",
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      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Indo-European *mey-?\nProto-Indo-European *meyth₂-der.\nLatin mūtōder.\nOld English *mutian\nMiddle English mouten\nEnglish moult\nEnglish molt\n[Appendix:Glossary#derived_terms|Derived]] from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"move\", \"children\" : [ { \"keyword_abbrev\" : \"der.\", \"keyword_label\" : \"Derived from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"gloss\" : \"to exchange\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"is_uncertain\" : true, \"id\" : \"change\", \"children\" : [ ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*mey-\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"keyword\" : \"from\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*meyth₂-\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"derived\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Latin\", \"term\" : \"mūtō\", \"lang\" : \"la\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"derived\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Old English\", \"term\" : \"*mutian\", \"status\" : \"inline\", \"lang\" : \"ang\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Middle English\", \"term\" : \"mouten\", \"status\" : \"inline\", \"lang\" : \"enm\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"moult\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"keyword\" : \"from\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"molt\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-id=\"moult\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"molt\" id=\"English:_moult\">\nFrom moult."
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    }
  ],
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    ],
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      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/meyth₂-"
    ],
    [
      "mūtō",
      "muto#Latin:_move"
    ],
    [
      "*mutian",
      "Reconstruction:Old English/mutian"
    ],
    [
      "mouten",
      "mouten#Middle_English"
    ],
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      "moult",
      "moult#English"
    ],
    [
      "moult",
      "moult#English"
    ]
  ],
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Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

verb

simple past of melt

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *(s)meld-der. Proto-Germanic *meltaną Proto-West Germanic *meltan Old English meltan Middle English molte English molt From Middle English molte, the 2sg and subj. sg. past tense of melten (“to melt”), and also from a reduced form of molten (the general plural indicative past tense, used with we and they), from Old English multe, multon and multen, respectively the 2sg / subj. sg., plural indicative, and plural subjunctive preterite forms of meltan (“to melt, to digest, to be fully destroyed”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inherited-form mentionmulte, multon and multenang

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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      "name": "etymon",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":inh",
        "3": "enm:melten<alt:molte>",
        "id": "melt",
        "tree": "1"
      },
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    },
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      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "",
        "4": "molte"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English molte"
    },
    {
      "name": "abbr",
      "args": {
        "1": "2sg",
        "2": "second-person singular indicative"
      },
      "expansion": "2sg"
    },
    {
      "name": "abbr",
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        "1": "subj. sg.",
        "2": "subjunctive singular"
      },
      "expansion": "subj. sg."
    },
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      "name": "lg",
      "args": {
        "1": "indicative"
      },
      "expansion": "indicative"
    },
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      },
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      },
      "expansion": "subj. sg."
    },
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      "args": {
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      },
      "expansion": "preterite"
    },
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      },
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  ],
  "links": [
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      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/(s)meld-"
    ],
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      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/meltaną"
    ],
    [
      "*meltan",
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    ],
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    ],
    [
      "molte",
      "melten#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "melten",
      "melten#Middle_English"
    ],
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      "we",
      "we#Middle_English"
    ],
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      "they",
      "they#Middle_English"
    ],
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    ],
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    ],
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        "simple past of melt"
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Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for molt →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger

Machine-source provenance

Source SHA-256: 5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run: 73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID: w-bW9sdA