| 释义 |
▪ I. mould, n.1|məʊld|
Forms: 1–6 molde, 3– (now U.S.) mold, 5 moold, 5–6 mulde, 6 moulde, Sc. muild, 6– mould.
[OE. molde wk. fem = OFris. molde, MDu. moude, mouwe (Du. moude, LG. mold), OHG. molta fem., also molt masc. (MHG. molte, molde, mod.Ger. dial. molt, molten masc.), ON. mold (Sw. mull, Da. muld), Goth. mulda str. fem.:—OTeut. *moldā, muldā, root *mul- (:mel-:mal-) to pulverize, grind: see meal n.1, and cf. mull n.1]
1. Loose, broken, or friable earth; hence, the surface soil, which may be readily broken up. Also pl. (now only dial.) lumps or clods of earth; in mod. dial. use commonly equivalent to the sing.
c725Corpus Gloss. (Hessels) S 10, Sablo, molde. c900tr. Bæda's Hist. iii. ii. (1890) 154 Mid moldan [puluere terræ]. a1300Cursor M. 898 Mold sal be þi mete for nede. c1400Destr. Troy 4320 Maumettes to make of moldes & clay. 1577–87Harrison England ii. xxii. (1877) i. 346 Wood, which being felled..in processe of time became to be quite ouergrowne with earth and moulds. 1668H. More Div. Dial. ii. vi. (1713) 103 It is as unskilfully alledged against Nature that all the Earth is not soft moulds. 1703Maundrell Journ. Jerus. (1732) 3 Vast naked Rocks without the least sign of Mould. 1767A. Young Farmer's Lett. 133 This would by no means do for ploughed lands, as we always throw the moulds of such drains one way. 1792M. Riddell Voy. Madeira 43 The rains continually washing down the mold, &c. into the bottom, have formed a thick rich soil there. 1827J. Clare Sheph. Cal. 34 In fresh-turn'd moulds which first beheld the sun.
†b. Used disparagingly for land (as a possession); = dirt n. 2 e. Obs.
c1570Pride & Lowl. (1841) 77 His hart encreaseth not thereby ne lesseth Ase doon these fooles for they have gotten molde.
2. The earth of the grave. Also pl. to bring to mould: to bury. (laid, lapped, wrapped) in the moulds: buried. (Cf. mool n. 2.) Now only poet. or dial.
c1000Creed 34 (Gr.) Þæs þy ðriddan dæᵹe þeoda wealdend aras..of moldan. c1330Arth. & Merl. 2734 (Kölbing) His moder starf..& richeliche was brouȝt in mold. 13..E.E. Allit. P. C. 494, I wolde I were of þis worlde wrapped in moldez. 1535Stewart Cron. Scot. II. 524 Syne suddantlie the deid corpis in tha flang; And syne kest on the muldis on the clay, The grene erd syne. 1560Pilkington Expos. Aggeus (1562) 110 Those which then were buried in no halowed churche nor churchyarde, nor christen moldes, as they be called. 1602Marston Antonio's Rev. iii. ii. Wks. 1856 I. 107 The mould that presseth downe My deade fathers sculle. a1656Ussher Ann. (1658) 103 That they should wrap his body neither in gold nor silver, but in plain moulds. 1746Collins Ode written in 1746, When Spring with dewy fingers cold Returns to deck their hallowed mold. 1800Wordsw. Michael 370 They were not loth To give their bodies to the family mould. 1824Scott Redgauntlet let. xi, After Sir John and her ain gudeman were baith in the moulds. 1896A. E. Housman Shropshire Lad xxx, The bed of mould Where there's neither heat nor cold.
3. The upper soil of cultivated land; garden-soil; spec. soil rich in organic matter and suitable for cultivation of plants. Also with qualifying word, e.g. leaf-mould, vegetable mould (see these words).
1340Ayenb. 95 Þyse þri þinges byeþ nyeduolle to alle þe þinges þet in þe erþe wexeþ. Guod molde [etc.]. c1420Pallad. on Husb. i. 293 A gret labour is to correcte A moold in this maner that is enfecte. 1601R. Johnson Kingd. & Commw. (1603) 113 Being broken with the plough it is founde to be excellent good mould. 1731Miller Gard. Dict. s.v., The Moulds that are of a bright Chesnut or Hazelly Colour. 1771N. Nicholls Lett. in Corr. w. Gray (1843) 131 The loose and fermenting mould of the garden and fields. 1796Kirwan Elem. Min. (ed. 2) I. 373 Moulds are loams mixed with animal and vegetable remains, particularly from putrefaction. 1881G. Romanes in Nature No. 624. 555 Many quantitative results are given of the amount of mould which worms are able to cast up. 1885Manch. Exam. 13 June 5/3 So covetable does the rich, fat mould appear to the South African farmers.
fig.c1200Vices & Virtues 69 For ði ne mai wexen non god sad of godes wordes on ȝeure herte molde. 1651N. Bacon Disc. Govt. Eng. ii. xxxvii. (1739) 166 Bared of the old Soil of the Papacy, yet transplanted into the new Mould of Royalty. 1828Carlyle Misc. (1857) I. 219 Our literature no longer grows in water but in mould.
4. Earth regarded as the material of the human body. (In ME. also erþe molde.) Obs. or poet.
c1250Hymn to God 10 in Trin. Coll. Hom. App. 258 Þu sscope eld & wind & water þe molde is þet feorþe Of wham we alle imaked beoð þat is þe holi eorþe. c1275O.E. Misc. 142 For he scop vs and alle þing of þar eorþe molde. 1535Coverdale Tobit viii. 6 Thou maydest Adam of the moulde of the earth. 1590Marlowe 2nd Pt. Tamburl. iv. i, Made of the mould whereof thy selfe consists. 1629Milton Hymn Nativ. xiv, And leprous sin will melt from earthly mould.
b. man of mould: a mortal man. By mod. writers, through misunderstanding of Shakes. Hen. V, iii. ii. 23 (cf. mould n.3), sometimes used for ‘a man of parts or distinction’.
c1320Sir Tristr. 639 Þe pouer man of mold Tok forþ anoþer ring. c1330R. Brunne Chron. Wace (Rolls) 446 Þat neuere man of erthe molde Mighte hit wynne byfore wiþ fyght. c1400Sowdone Bab. 136 Of Babiloyne the riche Sowdon, Moost myghty man he was of moolde. 1599Shakes. Hen. V, iii. ii. 23 Be mercifull great Duke to men of mould. 1843Carlyle Past & Pr. ii. xvii, She begins to be uncertain as to what they were, whether spirits or men of mould. 1847Emerson Poems, Monadnoc Wks. (Bohn) I. 435 When he would prepare For the next ages, men of mould Well embodied, well ensouled. 1887Saintsbury Hist. Elizab. Lit. i. 26 Though one at least of his contributors, W. Hunnis, was a man of mould.
†c. The ‘dust’ to which a human body ‘returns’ after death; the ashes of the dead. Obs.
a1425Cursor M. 22800 (Trin.) Miȝt he not þenne wiþ his mayn Þat ilke molde [earlier texts erþ] make flesshe aȝayn? 1562Winȝet Cert. Tractates Wks. (S.T.S.) II. 27 The muildis of thame now laid on sleip. 1638G. Sandys Paraphr. Job xix. (1648) 29 Though wormes devoure mee, though I turne to mold.
†5. The ground regarded as a surface or as a solid stratum. under mould: under the ground; buried. In ME. sometimes pl. Obs.
a1000Elene 55 (Gr.) Mearh moldan træd. a1272O.E. Misc. 93 Vnder molde hi liggeþ colde. a1330Otuel 1530 Þo was garsie wel nyȝ wood, For wraþþe on molde þere he stood. c1400Destr. Troy 4774 Mynours then mightely the moldes did serche. c1470Henry Wallace ii. 213 Hyr most desyr was to be wndyr mold. 1596Drayton Legends iv. 375 Where now it lyes even levell'd with the mold. 1596Gosson Pleas. Quippes 184 These corked shooes to beare them hie makes them to trip it on the molde. 1624Wotton Archit. i. 23 Aduising vs, not to rest vpon any appearing Soliditie, vnlesse the whole Mould through which wee cut, haue likewise beene solid.
6. The world on which we dwell; the earth. Chiefly in phr. on (the) mould: in the world. Also, the land of a particular region. Obs. or poet.
a1000Guthlac 1203 (Gr.) Þæs þe ic..anᵹum ne wolde monna ofer moldan melda weorðan. a1310in Wright Lyric P. viii. 33 On molde y holde the murgest mon. c1315Shoreham vii. 68 Þe wolkne by-clepþ al þe molde. 1362Langl. P. Pl. A. i. 64 The moste mischeef on molde mounteth vp faste. a1400–50Alexander 25 For þai þe mesure & þe mett of all þe mulde couthe. c1435Torr. Portugal 425 A better than yt know I nowght With in crystyn mold. 1549–62Sternhold & H. Ps. xc. 10 Our time is three score yeare and ten, that we do liue on mould. 1575Gascoigne Posies, Hearbes 159 Which framed mee so lucklesse on the molde. 1614J. Davies Eclog. Willy & Wernocke 187, I ne wot, on mould what feater skill Can bee yhugg'd in Lordings pectorall. 1810Scott Lady of L. iv. xv, The fairest knight on Scottish mold.
†7. Her. The ‘field’ of an escutcheon. Obs.
c1435Torr. Portugal 1123 Sir Torrent ordenyth hym a sheld,..On azure a squier off gold, Richely bett on mold. c1450Holland Howlat 413 Syne in asure the mold, A lyoun crovnit with gold.
8. attrib. and Comb., as mould-earth, † mould-rake, mould-side; † mould-ale, a funeral banquet; mould-furrow n. (see quot. 1851); mould-furrow v., to plough with a mould-furrow; mould iron, an iron mould-board; † mould-meat Sc., (a) a funeral banquet; (b) the last food a person eats before death (see Jam.); mould-plate, the plate of a mould-board. Also mould-basket, mould-screen, mould-scuttle, mould-sieve (see Loudon Encycl. Gard. 1829, §§1392–4–6, 1401).
c1440Promp. Parv. 341/2 *Moldale (MS.S. 1498 molde ale), potacio funerosa, vel funeralis.
1844H. Stephens Bk. Farm I. 507 Whilst the principal workman is rutting off the second side of the top of the drain..the other two begin to dig and shovel out the *mould-earth.
1851Ibid. (ed. 2) I. 171/2 The divisions between the ridges [are called] the open furrows,..and the last furrows ploughed in the open furrows are named the *mould or hint-end furrows.
Ibid. 185/2 The headridges should be cloven down with a gore-furrow along the ends of the ridges, and *mould-furrowed in the crowns.
1807A. Young Agric. Essex (1813) I. 127 The *mould-iron [of the plough], or plat, as it is called in Norfolk.
1513Douglas æneis v. ii. 118 To roist in threit The raw spaldis ordanit for the *muld meit.
1805R. W. Dickson Pract. Agric. I. Plate v, The *mould plates.
1574Richmond Wills (Surtees) 254 Spaydes, axes, *mold⁓raiks.
1805R. W. Dickson Pract. Agric. I. 123 In some cases the plants are placed in an horizontal direction upon sods turned *mould-side upwards.
▪ II. mould, n.2|məʊld|
Forms: 1 molda (or -e), 4–6 molde, moolde, 6–7 moulde, 7 mold, 6– mould.
[OE. molda or molde = MDu. moude ‘fonticulus’. Brugmann connects Skr. mūrdhán height, highest point, head, Gr. βλωθρό-ς tall:—Indo-Germanic *ml̥dh-.]
The top or dome of the head; also the fontanelle in an infant's head. (See also head-mould1.)
c1000Sax. Leechd. III. 42 ærest on þæt wynstre eare, þænne on þæt swiðre eare, þænne ufan þæs mannes moldan. c1380Sir Ferumb. 4939 Þe ymage of Mahoun..Wiþ þe axe smot he oppon þe molde, þat al þat heued to-flente. 1398Trevisa Barth. De P.R. ix. xxxi. (1495) 367 With Crysma chyldern ben cremyd and enoynted of a symple preeste on the molde. a1425Cursor M. 9098 (Trin.) His riche crowne of stone & golde he dud hit..take of his molde [Cott. MS. heued]. 1519W. Horman Vulg. 25 The moolde of yonge babys quauereth. 1601Holland Pliny I. 152 What a while continueth the mould and crowne of our heads to beate and pant, before our braine is well settled. 1612Sir G. Paule Life Whitgift 89 He complained..of a great colde, which he had then taken in the mould of his head. 1687A. Lovell tr. Thevenot's Trav. ii. 6 Betwixt the two eyes, it [the porpess] hath a hole like the mould in the head of a man. 1706Phillips (ed. Kersey), Mould,..the Dent in the upper Part of the Head. 1854Baker Northamp. Gloss., Mould, the opening of the suture of an infant's skull. 1886W. Barnes Dorset Gloss., Mould, the top of the head or skull.
b. attrib. mould-shot = head-mould-shot.
1754–64Smellie Midwifery I. 430 If the ossa parietalia rise over the os Frontis the case is called the mould-shot.
▪ III. mould, n.3|məʊld|
Forms: 3– (now U.S.) mold, 4–5, 6 Sc. muld(e, 4–6 molde, 5 mowlld(e, 5–6 moold(e, mowld(e, moulde, 6 moald(e, 6– mould. See also moul n.2
[ME. mold(e, app. metathetic alteration (either in OF. or in ME.) of OF. modle (later molle, mole, mod.F. moule) = Pr. molle, Sp., Pg. molde:—L. modulum (see module).]
I. A pattern by which something is shaped.
1. a. A pattern, commonly a thin plate of wood or metal, used by masons, bricklayers, and plasterers as a guide in shaping mouldings, etc.; a templet.
(For face mould, falling mould, see those words.)
1323Ely Sacrist Roll in R. Willis Arch. Nomencl. Mid. Ages (1844) 22 Bordis empt' pro moldis cementariorum faciendum. 1377Langl. P. Pl. B. xi. 341 If any masoun made a molde þer-to moche wonder it were. 1458in Parker Dom. Archit. (1859) III. 42 Then must they have moolds to make on the bowys. 1513in Willis & Clark Cambridge (1886) I. 613 Lyme, sand,..mooldes, ordinaunces, and euery other thyng concernyng the..seid vawtes. 1663Gerbier Counsel 28 As for the workmen, they must observe exactly their Surveyours Molds. 1793Smeaton Edystone L. §107 A gang of masons..who were, according to moulds and drawings, to hew the stones. 1825J. Nicholson Operat. Mechanic 541 To find the moulds necessary for the construction of a semicircular arch, cutting a straight wall obliquely. 1876Encycl. Brit. IV. 507/1 The mouldings and cornices are run with moulds.
b. Shipbuilding. See quot. c 1850.
1769Falconer Dict. Marine (1780) s.v., There are two sorts of these, namely, the bend-mould and hollow-mould: the former..determines the convexity of the timbers, and the latter, their concavity on the outside. c1850Rudim. Navig. (Weale) 134 Moulds, pieces of deal or board made to the shape of the lines on the mould-loft floor, as the timbers, harpins, ribands, &c., for the purpose of cutting out the different pieces of timber, &c., for the ship. Also the thin flexible pieces of pear-tree or box used in constructing the..plans of ships. 1893Westm. Gaz. 22 Mar. 2/1 The moulds in their place, the cedar skin is stretched over them.
c. A glass-cutter's pattern.
1688R. Holme Armoury iii. ix. 384 A Quarry Mould..is a Blew Slate, whereon are drawn the several sorts or sizes of Quarries of Glass.
2. a. A hollow form or matrix into which fluid or plastic material is cast or pressed and allowed to cool or harden so as to form an object of a particular shape or pattern. Also with qualifying word, as brick-mould, bullet-mould.
1389in Riley Mem. London (1868) 513 [He shall set no new] molde [to finish, after Noon rung]. 1428E.E. Wills (1882) 82 All my mooldes & instrumentis to my craft [sc. of wax-chandler] longyng. c1440Promp. Parv. 342/1 Moold for a belle, or a potte, effigies. 1485Cely Papers (1900) 177 A mowllde of stone to caste leyd in. 1549Privy Council Acts (1890) II. 350 Mowldes for fawcon,..mouldes for saker,..mowldes for demyculverin. 1667Milton P.L. xi. 567 The liquid Ore he dreined Into fit moulds prepar'd. 1687A. Lovell tr. Thevenot's Trav. iii. 43 Moulds for casting of Bullets, or Small-shot. 1762H. Walpole Vertue's Anecd. Paint. (1765) I. ii. 32 B. and Godfrey of Woodstreet, gold⁓smiths, made the moulds, and cast the images of the king and queen. 1825J. Nicholson Operat. Mechanic 616 The casts are made of..plaster of Paris,..and the wax mould is oiled previously to its being put in. 1884W. H. Greenwood Steel & Iron §809 The moulds in which Bessemer steel ingots are cast are usually of cast iron.
†b. of a (or o) mould: cast in the same mould, of the same shape. Obs.
c1320Sir Tristr. 942 Of mone of amold Þre hundred pounde of latoun Schuld he. a1450Sir Degrev. 1435 Arcangelus of rede golde, ffyfty mad of o molde.
c. to break the mould: fig. to render impossible the repetition of a certain type of creation.
1566Painter Pal. Pleas. I. 141 b, I thinke dame Nature her selfe hath broken the mould. 1605Shakes. Lear iii. ii. 8 And thou all-shaking Thunder,..Cracke Natures moulds. 1661Wright in Spurgeon Treas. Dav. lix. 8 There is a counsel in heaven, that will dash the mould of all contrary counsels upon the earth. 1847Emerson Poems, Monadnoc Wks. (Bohn) I. 434 But if the brave old mould is broke, And end in churls the mountain folk. 1869Mozley Univ. Serm. i. 24 The mould in which they were made is broken.
d. gen. A modelled surface from which an impression can be taken.
1530Palsgr. 157 A moulde, to moulde or print a thyng in. 1626Bacon Sylva §502 It is a Curiosity to haue Fruits of Diuers Shapes... This is..performed by Moulding them, when the Fruit is young, with Moulds of Earth, or Wood. 1687A. Lovell tr. Thevenot's Trav. i. 201 They fill it [a wooden mould] with Coal-dust, and apply it to your Arm, so that they leave upon the same, the Mark of what is cut in the Mould.
e. An arrangement of two or more boards forming a cavity in which concrete or earth is placed in order to be moulded into the desired shape.
c1870R. S. Burn Guide to Masonry 161 Care must be taken to prevent rain saturating the earth with water, as in this state it will form more mud in the mould. Ibid., The difficulty of adjusting the moulds necessary to contain the concrete.
3. spec. in Cookery. A hollow utensil of metal or earthenware used to give a shape to puddings, jelly, etc. Also, a pudding, etc., shaped in a mould.
1573in Cunningham Revels at Crt. (1842) 37 Mony by him payde for Mowldes to cast the frutes and ffishes in. 1608Willet Hexapla Exod. 590 Iron moulds and dishes which they baked the bread in. 1747–96H. Glasse Cookery xiv. 231 Make it into cakes, or just what shape you please with moulds. 1769Mrs. Raffald Eng. Housekpr. (1778) 193 Be careful you keep stirring it till cold, or it will run in lumps when you turn it out of the mould. 18..Novels & Tales fr. Househ. Words VI. 34 (Hoppe) We had preserved plums to the mould of rice. 1904Daily Chron. 21 Apr. 8/5 Turn the mixture into a well-buttered border-mould and bake for twenty-five minutes in a moderate oven.
4. transf. and fig.
a. Said of things serving as a matrix or model; esp. in phr. to be cast in a (certain) mould: to have a certain form or character.
1557Cheke Let. to Hoby in Courtier (1561) Z z v, If..the mould of our own tung could serue vs to fascion a woord of our own. a1569A. Kingsmill Man's Est. x. (1580) 64 The Sonne of God was well-pleased to be cast in the moulde and simple shape of man. 1607Shakes. Cor. v. iii. 22 My wife comes formost, then the honour'd mould Wherein this Trunke was fram'd. 1612Hieron (title) A Helpe vnto Deuotion: Containing Certain Moulds or Forms of Prayer, fitted to seueral occasions. 1689Swift Ode to Sir W. Temple xi, Shall I believe a Spirit so divine Was cast in the same Mold with mine? 1738Wesley Ps. li. vi, Cast in the Mould of Sin I am. 1825Coleridge Aids Refl. (1836) App. xxix. 24 The shapes of the recent and nearer become a mould for the objects in the distance. 1839–52Bailey Festus 328 Maid-mother! mould of God. 1878R. B. Smith Carthage 369 A father and son, each cast in so truly heroic a mould.
†b. Said of the body with reference to its clothes.
In quot. 1639 after F. le moule du pourpoint.
1605Shakes. Macb. i. iii. 145 New Honors come vpon him Like our strange Garments cleaue not to their mould, But with the aid of vse. 1639Du Verger tr. Camus' Admir. Events 221 Tygris playing at false company saved the mold of his doublet, and left his brother ingaged in a fray.
†5. An object of imitation; a model, a pattern.
a1547Surrey in Tottel's Misc. (Arb.) 20 The whole effect of natures plaint, When she had lost the perfit mold, The like to whom she could not paint. 1570–6Lambarde Peramb. Kent (1826) p. vi, Having neither good arte..nor yet approved patterne or Moald to imitate and follow. 1602Shakes. Ham. iii. i. 161 The glasse of Fashion, and the mould of Forme. 1618E. Elton Expos. Rom. vii. (1622) 249 The man or woman that suffer themselues to bee changed into the mould and patterne of the good word of God.
6. A frame or body on or round which a manufactured article is made.
† a. The shaped piece of wood, etc. over which silk or other material is drawn to make a button. † b. The body of an artificial bait. c. The frame on which a sheet of paper, a basket, a hurdle (etc.) is made. † d. In pin-making, a length of wire of the thickness of the pin-stems, round which finer wire was coiled to form the heads.
1655Walton Angler i. v. (1661) 96 The mould or body of the minnow was cloth, and wrought upon, or over it thus with a needle. 1682Grew Anat. Plants 86 The Shape of a Button dependeth on the Mould; the Silk and other Materials wrought upon it, being always conformable thereunto. 1727–52Chambers Cycl. s.v., Moulds used in basket-making are very simple, consisting ordinarily of a willow or osier turned or bent into an oval, circle, square, or other figure. Ibid., Moulds in the manufacture of paper are little frames composed of several brass or iron wires fastened together by another wire still finer. 1747Gentl. Mag. XVII. 311 The wooden molds of 8 buttons. 1766C. Leadbetter Roy. Gauger ii. xiv. (ed. 6) 370 There are Moulds to answer each Size of Paper designed to be made and the Bottom of each Mould is of Brass-Wire. 1840Penny Cycl. XVIII. 161/2 The next step is to form the head, which is effected by a piece of wire called the mould, the same size as that used for the stems. 1875Knight Dict. Mech. 1464/2 Hand made paper is made by a mold and deckle.
7. A package of leaves of gold-beaters' skin between which gold-leaf is placed for beating.
1727–52Chambers Cycl., Mould, among gold-beaters, a certain number of leaves of velom..between which they put the leaves of gold and silver which they beat on the marble with the hammer. 1879Encycl. Brit. X. 753/1 A ‘mould’, composed of about 950 of the finest gold-beaters' skins.
8. Photo-engraving. The gelatine which receives the impression from the negative and from which the copper plate is taken; also, the metal plate itself.
1875Ure's Dict. Arts III. 564 This process does not in the least injure the gelatine mould. Ibid., The process of printing from the metal mould is conducted in the following manner. 1883Hardwick Photo-Chem. 358. 1885 Encycl. Brit. XVIII. 833/1 By means of very heavy pressure..the mould was squeezed into soft metal.
II. Imparted form or make; result of moulding.
9. Distinctive nature as indicative of origin; esp. of persons, native constitution or character.
This, the earliest sense in Eng., is perh. orig. derived directly from the primary abstract sense of the OF. word = L. modulus prescribed measure; but in later use there is a reference to sense 2 and to mould v.2 In expressions like ‘of base mould’, ‘of the purest mould’, there may be association with mould n.1
a1225Ancr. R. 84 (MS. Cott. Nero lf. 20 b) Þet ȝe þe bet icnowen ham ȝif eni cumeð touward ou, lo her hore molden. Uikelares beoð þreo kunnes. 1390Gower Conf. II. 39 Mi Sone, if thou of such a molde Art mad, now tell me plein thi schrifte. 1447O. Bokenham Seyntys (Roxb.) 282 Of men and wummen also The molde these dayis ys so sore alayde Wyth froward wyl. 1589Late Voy. Sp. & Port. (1881) 81 They bee of so base a mould, as they can verie well subject themselves to any government. c1592Marlowe Jew of Malta 1, ad init., Giue me the Merchants of the Indian mynes, That trade in mettall of the purest mould. 1596Shakes. Tam. Shr. i. i. 60 No mates for you, Vnlesse you were of gentler milder mould. 1613Purchas Pilgrimage (1614) 526 Other gods of a lesse mould they call Camis. 1647Clarendon Hist. Reb. i. §120 William Earl of Pembroke..a man of another mould and making. 1707Prior Hans Carvel 2 Hans Carvel..Married a lass of London mould. 1805Scott Last Minstr. i. xix, Their hearts of rugged mould. 1827Lytton Pelham v, Her mind was wholly of a different mould from my own. 1875Jowett Plato (ed. 2) II. 158 He has a character of a finer mould.
10. a. The form or shape of an animal body, or (less usually) of something inanimate. Now technical (among cattle- or stud-breeders); otherwise only rhetorical.
15..Tye the mare 13 in Ritson Anc. Songs (1792) 131 A mare of good mold. 1590Spenser F.Q. i. ii. 39 She now is turnd to treen mould. 1598Yong Diana 226 They iudged our beautious features, and gentle inclinations to differ farre from Shepherdes mouldes and dispositions. 1607Topsell Four-f. Beasts 228 About the mold or bigness of a young Fox of six moneths old. 1711Steele Spect. No. 17 ⁋1, I am a little unhappy in the Mold of my Face, which is not quite so long as it is broad. 1725Pope Odyss. i. 124 The sandals of cælestial mold. 1813Scott Rokeby i. vi, The buff-coat..Mantles his form's gigantic mould. 1816Byron Prisoner of Chillon ii, There are seven pillars of Gothic mould. 1844H. Stephens Bk. Farm III. 1259 He should select 1 or 2 of the best mares in his possession to breed from, and if he has none possessing youth and beauty of mould [etc.]. 1873Holland A. Bonnic. vii. 122 Manly in size, mould and bearing.
b. concr. Bodily form, body. Chiefly poet.
1579Lyly Euphues (Arb.) 458 This Beautifull moulde when I behelde to be endued with chastitie..and all other good giftes. 1590Spenser F.Q. ii. vii. 42 For nothing might abash the villein bold, Ne mortall steele emperce his miscreated mould. 1712–14Pope Rape Lock i. 48 As now your own, our beings were of old, And once inclos'd in Woman's beauteous mould. 1815Wordsw. Laodamia 16 Whom doth she behold?..His vital presence? his corporeal mould? 1865Swinburne Atalanta 60 [The boar] trampled, springing sideways from the tusk, Too tardy a moving mould of heavy strength, Ancæus.
†11. The form or structural type or model of a building or a ship. Obs.
1570Dee Math. Pref. 32 Now, may you, of any Mould, or Modell of a Ship, make one, of the same Mould..bigger or lesser. 1577–87Harrison England ii. ii. 141/1 in Holinshed, Howbeit the moold of the quire [of the cathedrall church] was not statelie inough. 1570–6Lambarde Peramb. Kent (1826) 315 All these ships Q. Elizth hath either wholy built upon the stockes or newly reedified upon the olde moaldes. 1666Dryden Ann. Mirab. lxxii, Of ships which by their mould bring new supplies And in their colours Belgian lions bear. 1774M. Mackenzie Maritime Surv. 106 A Vessel..of such a Mould as to draw little Water.
†12. Style, fashion, mode. Obs.
1603Florio Montaigne iii. xiii. 664 The best..lives..are..those which..are ranged to the common mould and humane model. 1624Wotton Archit. i. 14 All Nations doe start at Novelties, and are indeede maried to their owne Moulds. 1650R. Hollingworth Exerc. Usurped Powers 5 A party..shall rise up..and set up a new mould of government. 1656Heylin Surv. France 70 The houses of the new mould in London, are just after their fashion.
13. a. That which is moulded or fashioned. rare.
1667Milton P.L. vi. 576 A triple-mounted row of Pillars laid On Wheels..Brass, Iron, Stonie mould. 1814Cary Dante, Paradise iv. 53 When nature gave it [sc. the soul] to inform her mold. 1833Tennyson Two Voices 28 Think you this mould of hopes and fears Could find no statelier than his peers In yonder hundred million spheres?
†b. Plastic material. Obs. rare.
1547J. Harrison Exhort. Scottes 210 All mennes expectacion is, that hauyng so apte a moulde to worke vpon, you shall..frame his youthe with verteous preceptes. 1667Milton P.L. iii. 708 When at his Word the formless Mass, This worlds material mould, came to a heap.
14. Arch. A moulding or group of mouldings belonging to a particular member of a building. (See also hood-mould.)
1480Botoner Itin. 268 The west dore frettyd yn the hede with grete gentese and small and fylled wyth entayle wyth a double moolde costely don and wrought. 1501[see broach n.1 6]. 1850Parker's Gloss. Archit. I. 134 A mould is also the entire group or set of mouldings with which any architectural member is furnished, as arch-mould, jamb-mould, &c.
15. Geol. An impression made in earth by the convex side of a fossil shell; sometimes misused for cast n. 30 b.
‘Mould’ and ‘cast’ are termed in Fr. respectively moule externe and moule interne.
1839Civil Eng. & Arch. Jrnl. II. 375/2 They [sc. the roach beds] are full of cavities formed by the moulds of shells. 1854Woodward Mollusca 286 Specimens frequently occur in which the outer shell layer is preserved, whilst the inner is wanting, and the mould (‘birostrites’) remains loose in the centre. 1862Chamb. Encycl. IV. 448/2 Sometimes the whole organism is dissolved and carried off by water percolating the rock, and its former presence is indicated by the mould of its outer surface and the cast of its inner in the rocky matrix.
16. Short for mould-candle (see 17).
1812Byron Waltz vi. note, Best moulds (four to the pound). 1831T. L. Peacock Crotchet Castle ii, She is a greasy subject, and would have burned like a short mould. 1856Orr's Circ. Sci., Pract. Chem. 449 Two sorts of candles are commonly met with in commerce, namely, dips and moulds.
III. 17. attrib. and Comb., as mould-carver, mould-maker, mould-making, mould-turner; often = made or cast in a mould, as mould cigar, mould shot, mould ware, mould work; mould-cutting, mould-resisting adjs. and ns.; mould-blowing Glass-making, the blowing of glass inside a mould to give it the required shape; so mould-blown a.; mould candle, a candle made in a mould (as distinguished from a dip-candle); mould cavity (see quots.); mould-loft Shipbuilding and Aeronaut., a room on the floor of which the plans of the ship are drawn at full size; mould-made a., of paper, made on a type of machine which produces sheets having characteristics imitating those of hand-made paper, esp. the so-called deckle edge; † mould-man, a moulder; mould oil Building, an oil applied to formwork to prevent concrete adhering to it; mould-room = mould-loft; mould-runner, an operative in a pottery responsible for transferring a completed article, still attached to its mould, to the drying-oven; hence mould-running vbl. n.; † mould-stone, stone used for moulded work.
1948E. B. Haynes Glass through Ages 307 *Mould-blowing. 1949P. Davis Devel. Amer. Glass Industry iv. 48 Glass for purposes other than glazing..was made by two different processes known technically as ‘off-hand blowing’ and ‘mold-blowing’. 1972E. Fletcher Bottle Collecting iii. 48 Most of the early examples of case bottles to survive have sides which sagged badly after removal from the mould; but the techniques of mould-blowing were soon to improve.
1925Hodkin & Cousen Text-bk. Glass Technol. xxxii. 412 Much of the preliminary work in shaping parisons for *mould-blown bottles might be mechanically performed. 1970Ashmolean Mus. Rep. Visitors 1969 15 A clear green glass flask with hexagonal mould blown body decorated with panels of lattice and chevron pattern.
1711Act 10 Anne c. 19 §109 If such Making or Course is intended to be of *Mould Candles. 1876M. E. Braddon J. Haggard's Dau. I. 59 Sally came in presently with a pair of mould candles.
1873Spon Workshop Rec. Ser. i. 431/1 The *mould carver makes his mould look..directly the reverse of what he wishes the ornament to appear.
1951Gloss. Terms Plastics Industry (B.S.I.) 37 *Mould cavity (cavity), the female portion of a mould impression. 1971W. K. V. Gale Iron & Steel Industry: Dict. Terms 136 Mould cavity, the impression left in a foundry mould after the pattern has been removed.
1896Daily News 15 Oct. 8/5 To make *mould cigars.
1947J. C. Rich Materials & Methods Sculpture v. 114 The author has employed dental floss, which is waxed silk thread, for *mold-cutting purposes, with good results.
1711W. Sutherland Shipbuild. Assist. 77 The Platform fitted for such a Design is call'd a *Mould-loft. 1866Chamb. Encycl. VIII. 683/1 The first process is to develop, or ‘lay off’, on the mould-loft floor, certain full-size working sections of the required ship. 1947Jrnl. R. Aeronaut. Soc. LI. 307/2 The mold loft consisted of a building with a large floor area, the floor being painted a mat black.
1916H. A. Maddox Paper viii. 120 *Mould-made imitations of hand-made paper are produced..by several types of apparatus. 1923― Dict. Stationery 53 Mould-made paper, a class of high-grade paper which closely embodies the characteristic features of handmade. The sheets are made on a special machine which forms them singly and imparts four deckled edges... In selling mould-made note paper the stationer is legally compelled to describe it as such. 1938Times Lit. Suppl. 15 Jan. 40/4 The text of the poem [sc. the Nonesuch edition of Comus] is printed in Fell types..on Pannekoek mould-made paper, at the Oxford University Press. 1955S. C. Gilmour Paper vii. 64 Nowadays the relatively few mould-made papers that are produced rank as a close second in character and quality to hand-mades, though not altogether comparable. 1973S. Jennett Making of Bks. (ed. 5) xi. 182 Mould-made Papers are a paradox. They are in effect hand-made papers made by machine.
1780in Hone Everyday Bk. II. 1477 If any engraver, paper-maker, *mould-maker or printer, can give information of the..making any mould or paper. 1825J. Nicholson Operat. Mechanic 465 The mould-maker receives the model, and forms from it the requisite moulds.
1849Noad Electricity (ed. 3) 230 *Mould-making, soldering, and gilding.
1576in Cunningham Revels at Crt. (1842) 110 The *Mowldeman for a houndes head mowlded for a Cenofall ijs.
1939W. H. Glanville Mod. Concrete Construction I. vi. 166 *Mould oils of a variety of types are used in the various fields of concrete products manufacture. 1948L. J. Murdock Concrete Materials & Pract. xvi. 240 The requirements of a good mould oil are that it shall prevent sticking, it shall reduce to a minimum adsorption of water by the formwork, and it shall not harm the concrete either by staining or by softening of the surface. 1962D. F. Orchard Concrete Technol. II. xi. 321 Care must be taken to see that the plywood or hardboard does not buckle through expansion due to atmospheric influences or the absorption of water from the concrete; several coats of mould oil or a brush on plastic are a great help in this respect.
1962*Mould-resisting [see damp-proofing vbl. n.].
1791Smeaton Edystone Lightho. §157 The work-yard, *mould-room, &c.
18631st Rep. Children's Employment Comm. p. ix, in Parl. Papers XVIII. 9 As the potter forms the plate or saucer in the mould, the *mould runner runs off with it into the ‘store’. 1910A. Bennett Clayhanger i. iv. 29 He was ‘mould-runner’ to a ‘muffin-maker’, a muffin being..a small plate, fashioned by its maker on a mould. 1961M. Jones Potbank viii. 34 In the older workshops..the mould-runner really does plenty of running.
1910A. Bennett Clayhanger i. iv. 31 The labour was much lighter than that of *mould-running and clay-wedging.
1675Worlidge Syst. Agric. 241, I shall..here set down the true Process of making of it [sc. shot], of what size you please under *Mould-shot. 1832P. Hawker Diary (1893) II. 34, I..blew both barrels into them with mould shot.
1353Ely Roll in R. Willis Arch. Nomencl. Mid. Ages (1844) 50, 17 de *muldestones pro fenestris ecclesiæ parochialis.
1777Birmingham Directory 8 Brooks, William, *Mould-turner.
1612Sturtevant Metallica 91 Presse-ware or *Mould-ware, is any thing that can bee made, wrought, or formed of clay and earth..by presse and mould.
1626Bacon Sylva §502 The Fruit..would..fill the Concaue, and so be turned into the Shape desired; As it is in *Mould-workes of Liquid Things.
▪ IV. mould, n.4|məʊld|
Also 5 mowlde, 8– (now U.S.) mold.
[Perh. developed from mould a. used in contexts in which it was not clear whether it was a n. or an adj.; or perh. an altered form of moul n.1, due to association with mould n.1]
a. A woolly or furry growth (consisting of minute fungi) which forms on vegetable and animal substances that lie for some time in moist warm air. As a disease of the hop plant = fen n.2
Also Bot., any one of the species of fungi (constituting the order Mucorini) of which this growth consists.
c1425Voc. in Wr.-Wülcker 658/6 Hic mucor, mowlde. 1626Bacon Nat. Hist. §339 All Moulds are Inceptions of Putrefaction; As the Moulds of Pyes and Flesh. 1714Mandeville Fab. Bees (1725) I. 361 A man that hates cheese must call me fool for loving blue mold. 1731, etc. [see fen n.2]. 1794J. Clark Agric. Heref. 51 note, Too much moisture subjects the [hop-] plants to the mould. 1848Dickens Dombey xxiii, Mildew and mould began to lurk in closets. 1864Chamb. Encycl. VI. 592/2 Mildews and Moulds are very nearly allied. 1874H. V. Carter Mycetoma 10 The red mould (Chionyphe). 1877Huxley & Martin Elem. Biol. 31 One of the commonest Moulds, the Penicillium glaucum, which is familiar to every one from its forming sage-green crusts upon bread, jam, old boots, &c.
b. fig.
1741Watts Improv. Mind i. ii. Wks. 1753 V. 200 A hermit who has been shut up in his cell in a college, has contracted a sort of mould and rust upon his soul. 1771P. Parsons Newmarket I. 32 Their researches into the mould of libraries. 1829D'Israeli Let. 28 Jan. in Croker Papers (1884) II. 40 Letters..having..escaped the fury of cooks,..the mould of time [etc.]. 1853C. Brontë Villette ix, I was getting on, not lying the stagnant prey of mould and rust.
c. attrib. and Comb.
1699Pepys Let. 19 Oct. (1926) I. 200, I have found time..to looke over all my heads; 'tis only mould-spotts some of them are touched with, by being putt together before they were dry. 1800Coleridge Piccolom. i. iv, Mould-rotted papers. 1874H. V. Carter Mycetoma 35 note, The infecting Filaria and Mould-spore. 1876tr. Wagner's Gen. Pathol. 95 The mould-diseases are conditional upon the above-mentioned mould-fungi. 1879Encycl. Brit. IX. 98/2 A certain species of mould-plant which he calls Mycoderma aceti. 1944J. S. Huxley On Living in Revolution v. 64 Some [butterfly wings like dead leaves] even go so far as to be marked with imitation mould-spots and holes.
▪ V. mould, n.5
In 6 mold.
A corrupted form of mole n.1 Cf. iron-mould.
1596Spenser F.Q. vi. xii. 7 Upon the litle brest, like christall bright, She mote perceive a litle purple mold.
▪ VI. mould, n.6|məʊld|
= mould-board1.
1858Trans. Illinois Agric. Soc. III. 367 In fall-plowing we run the share and mould of the plow under the soil and invert it. 1868Rep. Iowa Agric. Soc. 1867 266 There is no clogging, and the mould and lay are so hardened that they scour readily.
▪ VII. mould, a. (orig. pple.) Obs. exc. dial. (see E.D.D.)|məʊld|
Forms: 4 moweld, 4–6 mouled, mowled, (5 -id, -yd, Sc. -it), 6 moulde, 6– mould.
[f. moul v.1+ -ed1.]
Mouldy. Also fig.
13..Metr. Hom. in Archiv Stud. neu. Spr. LVII. 288 For stunch þe hermite his neose held þat of þat mouled flesch he feled. 1340Hampole Pr. Consc. 5570 Þe ruste of þat moweld mone. c1386Chaucer Reeve's Prol. 16 Myn herte is al-so mowled as myne heres. c1430in Pol. Rel. & L. Poems (1903) 213 Þi drinkis þat sowren, & þi mowlid mete. 1535Coverdale Josh. ix. 12 This oure bred..was new..but now lo, it is harde & moulde. 1583Stubbes Anat. Abus. ii. (1882) 49 They keepe their butter and cheese till it be mustie and mould.
▪ VIII. mould, v.1|məʊld|
Also mold.
[f. mould n.1]
†1. trans. To bury. Obs.
1530Test Ebor. (Surtees) V. 294, I bequeith..my bonys to be moldid wtin the sanctwary of Swyne. 1570Levins Manip. 218/47 To Mould, inhumare.
2. To cover (plants) with mould; to earth up.
1601Holland Pliny I. 429 The Oliue trees..need neither the hooke to be pruned, nor the rake and harrow to be moulded. 1649W. Blithe Eng. Improv. Impr. (1653) 126 In setting of it be carefull of Moulding it plentifully with the best Mould you can get. 1778W. H. Marshall Minutes Agric. 9 Mar. an. 1775 Digging the trench, putting in the plants, and moulding them with finely tilled soil. 1837Flemish Husb. 38 in Lib. Usef. Knowl., Husb. III, If..the potato-plants have been well hoed and moulded up.
†3. to mould away: to moulder, crumble away.
1545Brinklow Lament. (1874) 100 It [sc. this Sacrament] hathe a begynnynge, and maye perishe and moulde away. 1607Tourneur Rev. Trag. ii. i. C 3 b, For his white father do's but moulde away. 1633J. Clarke Two-fold Praxis 28 It is a strange sight to see the haire of the heads..mold away, and the gristle of the nose consume.
▪ IX. mould, v.2|məʊld|
Forms: see mould n.3
[f. mould n.3]
1. trans. To mix or knead (dough, bread); now used technically in the baking trade for: To shape into loaves (see quot. 1841).
14..Voc. in Wr.-Wülcker 603/14 Pistrio, to moolde or bake. c1430Pilgr. Lyf Manhode i. lxxiv. (1869) 44 She wolde it [sc. bread] were so wysliche moolded,..that [etc.]. 1530Palsgr. 641/1 He can better eate a lofe than mowlde it. 1542Boorde Dyetary xi. (1870) 262 Breade..must be well muldyd; it must be thorowe bake. 1577B. Googe Heresbach's Husb. i. (1586) 10 b. Here are..troughes to lay leauen in, and there is a fayre table to mould vpon. 1688R. Holme Armoury iii. 85/2 Mould it [sc. the dough] into Loaves or Roulls. 1841Guide to Trade, Baker 38 The operation of moulding the dough..consists in cutting the masses of weighed dough, each into two equal parts. They are then kneaded either round or long, and one placed in a hollow made in the other; and the union is completed by a turn of the knuckles on the centre of the upper piece.
fig.1692Dryden Cleomenes ii. ii. 21 When the Gods moulded up the Paste of Man, Some of their Dough was left upon their hands, For want of Souls.
†2. To mix (ingredients) to form a paste. Obs.
c1430Two Cookery-bks. i. 35 Take pouder of Gyngere & Canelle, & wryng it, & molde it to-gederys in þin hondys. 1587Fleming Contn. Holinshed III. 1003/1 [They] caused bran and meale to be moulded vp in cloth, for otherwise it would not sticke togither. 1604E. G[rimstone] D'Acosta's Hist. Indies v. xxiv. 393 They did mould it with honie, making an idoll of that paste. 1645–52Boate Irel. Nat. Hist. (1860) 125 Certain women..who mold the mud using nothing else to it but their hands.
†b. fig. To mix up or blend (with). Obs.
1701Swift Contests Nobles & Comm. v. Wks. 1751 IV. 53 A Faction..which, under the name of Puritan, began to grow popular, by molding up their new Schemes of Religion with republican principles in Government. 1855Milman Lat. Chr. vii. i. (1864) IV. 25 In Dunstan were moulded together the asceticism almost of an Eastern anchorite..with some of the industry and accomplishment of a Benedictine. Ibid. viii. viii. V. 32 Henry in whose character impetuosity was strangely moulded up with irresolution.
3. To produce or create (a material object) in a certain form; to shape as a sculptor or modeller; to fashion, form, model. Chiefly poet.
c1475Cath. Angl. 246/2 (MS. Addit.) To mowlde [1483 mulde], conformare. 1590Shakes. Mids. N. iii. ii. 211 Two louely berries molded on one stem. 1608― Per. iii. (Gower) 11 Hymen hath brought the Bride to bed, Where by the losse of maydenhead, A Babe is moulded. 1667Milton P.L. x. 744 Did I request thee, Maker, from my Clay To mould me Man. 1725Pope Odyss. iv. 773 From the bleak pole no winds inclement blow, Mold the round hail, or flake the fleecy snow. 1766Goldsm. Vic. W. xxviii, The change which I saw in her countenance struck me... The hand of death seemed to have moulded every feature to alarm me. a1822Shelley Triumph Life 532 Obscure clouds, moulded by the casual air. 1865Swinburne Atalanta 406 Seeing you so fair, and moulded like a god.
†b. absol. To make a model. Obs.
1644Evelyn Diary 8 Feb., Monsieur Saracin, who was moulding for an image of a Madona to be cast in gold.
4. To shape (fluid or plastic matter) in or as in a mould; to press or cast into a particular form.
1573–4in Cunningham Revels at Crt. (1842) 55 For the Mowldes and for Mowlding the frutes made of the stuf aforesaide. a1676Hale Prim. Orig. Man. i. ii. 65 He forgeth and mouldeth Metals. 1695Woodward Nat. Hist. Earth iv. 184 No Metall, when..cast in a Mould, can ever..represent the Concavity of that Mould with greater Exactness than these Flints and other Minerals do the Concavities of the Shells wherein they were thus moulded. 1716Gay Trivia ii. 329 In harden'd orbs the school-boy moulds the snow. 1857Miller Elem. Chem. (1862) III. 272 The fat..finally is melted and moulded into candles. 1865Lubbock Preh. Times 414 The extraordinary practice of moulding the form of the head was also common to several of the Indian tribes. 1879J. Wrightson in Cassell's Techn. Educ. IV. 246/2 The butter is then salted..moulded and printed.
5. transf. and fig. To create, produce, or form out of certain elements or material, or upon a certain pattern; also, to plan, design. Also with up.
1603Shakes. Meas. for M. v. i. 444 They say best men are moulded out of faults. 1641J. Jackson True Evang. T. iii. 199 A..plot, moulded in the depths of satanicall contrivances. a1667Cowley Miscell., Wit ix, But Love that moulds One Man up out of Two, Makes me forget and injure you. 1710Addison Whig Examiner No. 5 ⁋3 There is great art in moulding a question. 1818Cruise Digest (ed. 2) II. 333 Judges in such cases must mould and frame such estates as are agreeable to the plain intention of the legislature. 1863Geo. Eliot Romola i. xi, On that fuller knowledge he hoped to mould a statement. 1893Fam. Herald 167/2 A lovely brilliant girl, moulded on Di Vernon.
†b. to mould up: to go to form. Obs.
1602Marston Ant. & Mel. iii. Wks. 1856 I. 31 Earthly durt makes all things, makes the man, Moulds me up honour. 1613Shakes. Hen. VIII, v. v. 27 All Princely Graces That mould vp such a mighty Piece as this is.
6. To bring into or reduce to a particular shape or form; to shape or model the character or style of. Const. into, to. † Also with up.
1605Bacon Adv. Learn. ii. xxii. §15 It will follow that hee shall Moulde himselfe into al vertue at once. 1622Callis Stat. Sewers (1647) 47 The Estate..shall be melted and newly molded by this Condition. 1642Fuller Holy & Prof. St. ii. xvi. 109 God mouldeth some for a School⁓masters life. 1695Ld. Preston Boeth. iii. 142 They are the perfect Good when they are molded up into one Form. 1741Watts Improv. Mind i. xvii. Wks. 1753 V. 282 Fabellus would never learn any moral lessons till they were moulded into the form of some..fable. 1818Cruise Digest (ed. 2) VI. 428 In which case the Court assumed greater latitude of moulding the will according to the intention of the testator. 1859Max Müller Chips (1880) III. iv. 87 His character was chiefly moulded by his intercourse with men. 1857Willmott Pleas. Lit. xi. 50 Buffon has told us how patiently he moulded his loose sentences into symmetry. 1868Huxley Lay Serm. iii. (1870) 35 If we could mould the fates to our own will. 1875Jowett Plato (ed. 2) I. 419 Logic was beginning to mould human thought.
7. intr. and refl. (now rare). To assume a certain form; to become shaped; to shape itself (into).
1612Dekker If it be not Good B 4, Blest raigne! The Golden worlde is molding new againe. 1768Tucker Lt. Nat. II. 291 When growing and moulding in the womb, what were we better than a worm? 1842Tennyson Day-Dream 86 The silk star-broider'd coverlid Unto her limbs itself doth mould Languidly ever. 1858Ecclesiologist XIX. 315 When the Norman man-at-arms had begun to mould into the English country gentleman. 1871L. Stephen Playgr. Eur. vi. (1894) 140 The Jungfrau seems gradually to mould itself out of darkness.
8. trans. Shipbuilding. To give a particular mould to (a vessel) (? obs.); to shape (timbers) with moulds. (See mould n.3 11 and 1 b.)
1570–6Lambarde Peramb. Kent (1826) 311 No shipping any where els..to be founde either more artificially moalded under the water or more gorgeously decked above. 1797Encycl. Brit. (ed 3) XVII. 407/1 The moulds being thus prepared, we shall apply them to mould timber 7. 1830Hedderwick Marine Archit. 265 You then mark the number of the frame to which the floor belongs, and proceed to mould the two first futtocks.
9. To take a cast of. ? Obs.
1698Fryer Acc. E. India & P. 213 You must never mould any Diamond in Sand or Cuttle-bone. 1735Dict. Polygraph. II. K k 6 b, How to mould the Face without much trouble to a person. Ibid., To mould off the Face of a person in Wax.
10. Of clothes: To fit close to (the figure).[After F. mouler.] 1896Godey's Mag. Feb. 214/1 The cut and fit are perfection, the jersey molding the figure like a glove.
▪ X. mould, v.3|məʊld|
Also mold.
[f. mould n.4; or f. moul v. by addition of excrescent d.]
1. trans.
†a. To allow to become mouldy. Obs.
b. To cause to contract mould: see also moulded2.
c1460–70in Pol. Rel. & L. Poems (1903) 212 Þou lettest poore men go bare, thy drynkis soweren, þou mouledest metis [v.r. þi mowlid mete] where-with the febull myght wele fare. 1613–16W. Browne Brit. Past. i. ii. 29 Like hoording huswiues that doe mold their food, And keepe from others, what doth them no good. 1634Rainbow Labour (1635) 37 Sloth moulding some, anxiety consuming others. 1764Museum Rust. III. ii. 4 This manure..is also much less inclined to mould and burn the seed.
2. intr. To become mouldy or covered with mould.
1530Palsgr. 641/2 It is tyme to eate this breed, for it begynneth to mowlde. 1626Bacon Sylva §809 There be some Houses wherein..Baked Meats will mould, more than in others. 1707Mortimer Husb. (1721) I. 155 Unless the Seed be kept dry, 'tis apt to mould. 1885A. Watt Leather Manuf. 152 If the drying be too slow, especially in damp weather, the leather is apt to mould.
b. transf. and fig. of things that lie unused.
a1547Surrey Eccles. ii. 79 And wretched herts have they that let their tressures mold. 1590Spenser F.Q. ii. iii. 41 The man that moulds in ydle cell. 1611Bible Transl. Pref. ⁋6 The Grecians..were not wont to suffer bookes of worth to lye moulding in Kings Libraries. 1776Johnson Let. to Mrs. Thrale 18 May, He carries with him two or three good resolutions; I hope they will not mould upon the road.
▪ XI. mould
obs. form of mole n.2 and n.3 |