Molothrus 
birds, cowpen-birds, or cow-buntings. There are 
several species, of North and South America, all of which 
lay their eggs in other birds' nests, so far as is known, 
like the Old World cuckoos. J/. ater orpecoris abounds in 
most parts of the United States. M. aneut, alarge hand- 
some species, inhabiting Texas and Mexico, is the bronzed 
or red-eyed cow-bird. The genus is also called Hypobletis. 
See cut under cow-bird. 
molrooken (mol'ruk-en), . [Origin obscure.] 
The great crested grebe, Podiceps cristatus. C. 
Swainson. [Lough Neagb, Ireland.] 
molsht, a. See mulsh. 
molt't. An obsolete preterit of wefti. Chaucer. 
molt 2 , moult 1 (molt), r. [With unorig. I, < ME. 
mouten, mowten = D. mititen = MLG. LG-. mu- 
ten = OHG. inuzon, MHQ-. muzen, change, G. 
mausen, change the feathers or skin, molt, < 
L. mutare, change : see mute' 2 ' and metv 3 , dou- 
blets of moM 2 .] I. trans- To shed or east, as 
feathers, hair, or skin; slough off: often used 
figuratively. 
So shall my anticipation prevent your discovery, and 
your secrecy to the king and queen moult no feather. 
Shak., Hamlet, ii. 2. 306. 
Mute the skylark and forlorn, 
When she moults the firstling plumes. Coleridge. 
We all moult our names in the natural course of life. 
Southey, The Doctor, Ixxx. (Dames.) 
II. intrans. 1. To cast or shed feathers, 
hair, skin, or the like ; undergo or accomplish 
a molt; exuviate; mew. See the noun. 
Long as the bird may live, and often as it may rnoidt, the 
original style of markings never gives way to any other. 
A. Newton, Encyc. Brit, IX. 3. 
2. To be about to be cast off or shed, as plu- 
mage. 
Our hero gave him such a sudden fist in the mouth as 
dashed in two of his teeth that then happened to be 
moulting. Brooke, Fool of Quality, i. 104. (Davies.) 
molt 2 , moult 1 (molt), n. [< molt' 2 ', moult 1 , v.] 1. 
The act or process of shedding or casting any 
tegumentary, cuticular, or exoskeletal struc- 
tures or appendages, as feathers, hair, skin, 
nails, horns, hoofs, claws, or shell; eedysis; 
exuviation. The surface of the body of most animals, 
outside of the parts which are vascular or supplied with 
blood, is worn away by friction, attrition, or other mechan- 
ical means. This process may be slight and gradual or 
continuous, as in the case of man, where it results in scarf- 
skin and dandruff ; or it may be periodical and very ex- 
tensive, affecting the whole cuticle or its appendages. 
Mammals shed their hair usually once a year. Birds molt 
their feathers usually at least once, often twice, sometimes 
thrice a year, the last two cases constituting the double and 
the triple molt. Both these classes of animals, in some cases, 
molt cuticular substances in mass. Thus, the American 
antelope sheds the sheath of the horn ; lemmings and 
ptarmigans drop their claws ; some birds of the auk family 
shed the horny parts of the beak ; snakes cast their cuti- 
cle whole, even to the layer over the eyeball ; crusta- 
ceans slough the whole shell ; and numberless other in- 
vertebrates have a proper molt of similar or analogous 
character. 
2. The period or time of molting. 
moltablet (mol'ta-bl), a. [Irreg. for meltable.'] 
That can be melted; fusible. 
moltet. An obsolete past participle of melt 1 . 
Chaucer. 
molten 1 (mortn),j). a. [Pp. of meW 1 .] 1. Melt- 
ed; in a state of fusion or solution: as, molten 
gold. 
Love's mystick form the artizans of Greece 
In wounded stone or molten gold express. Prior. 
Solid iron floats upon molten iron exactly as ice floats 
upon water. Tyndall, Forms of Water, p. 124. 
A prince whose manhood was all gone, 
And molten down in mere uxoriousness. 
Tennyson, Geraint. 
2. Made or produced by means of melting. 
And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it 
with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf. 
Ex. xxxii. 4. 
3f. Liquid. 
Sum hem kepe 
Three nyght in molton dounge. 
Palladius, Husbondrie (E. E. T. S.), p. 54. 
molten 2 !, moultent (mol'tn), p. a. [Irreg. for 
molted, pp. of molt 2 , v.] Having molted ; being 
in the state of molting. 
A clip-wing'd Griffin, and a moulten Rauen. 
Shak., 1 Hen. IV. (fol. 1623), iii. 1. 152. 
moltenly (mol'tn-li), adv. Like what is in a 
melted state ; liquidly. 
A living language . . . moltenly ductile to new shapes 
of sharp and clear relief in the moulds of new thought. 
Lowell, Among my Books, 1st ser., p. 155. 
molting, moulting (mol'ting), w. [With un- 
orig. /, as in molt%, moult 1 , v., < ME. mouting, 
moivtynge; verbal n. of molt*, moult 1 , v.] 1. 
The act or process of molting; molt. 
O hath my leaden soul the art t' improve 
Her wasted talent, and, unrais'd, aspire 
In this sad moulting: time of her desire? 
Quartet, Emblems, v. 4. 
3826 
2t. The molting season. 
Also in sothe the seson was paste 
ffor hertis y-heedid so hy and so noble 
To make ony myrthe ffor mowtynge that nyghed. 
Richard the Redden, ii. 12. 
molto (mol'to), adv. [It., very much, < L. mul- 
tus, much: see multitude.] In music, very; 
much : as, allegro molto, very fast. 
Molucca balm. See Moluccella. 
Molucca bean, deer, etc. See bean, etc. 
Moluccella (mol-uk-sel'a), n. [NL. (Linnaeus, 
1737), named from the Molucca Islands, of 
which the plant was supposed to be a native.] 
A genus of labiate plants of the tribe Stacliy- 
dece and the subtribe Lamiece. It is characterized 
by the posterior lip of the corolla being usually concave 
and covered with long soft hairs, by the calyx being larger 
at the apex, with an oblique limb having from five to thir- 
teen unequal spiny teeth, and by having the anther-cells 
extremely divergent. They are very smooth annual herbs, 
with petiolate leaves and axillary whorls of small flowers. 
There are but 2 species, both native in the eastern Medi- 
terranean region. M. Itevis, an old garden-flower from Asia, 
once supposed to come from the Moluccas, is called Moluc- 
ca balm; and also shell-flower, from its large cup-shaped 
calyx, which has the small corolla at the bottom. 
Molva (mol'va), n. [NL. (Nilsson,1832),a name 
of this fish.] A genus of gadoid fishes, related 
to the burbots and cusks, having the mouth 
terminal, anal fin entire, and canine teeth on 
the vomer and mandible. M. molva or vulgaris 
is the common ling of North Atlantic waters. 
See cut under ling. 
molwartt, n. See moldwarp. 
mqly 1 (mo'li), a. [Also moley ; < mote 2 + -y 1 .] 
Like a mole or its habits. [Bare.] 
He ... did . . . infinite service in discouraging . . . 
the moley, creeping style, which at that time infected all 
the ranks both of the laity and clergy. 
Goldsmith, Enconragers and Discouragers of English 
[Literature, ii. 
moly 2 (mo'li), . [< L. moly, < Gr. ua%v, a fabu- 
lous herb.] 1. A fabulous herb of magic pow- 
er, represented as having a black root and the 
flower milk-white, said by Homer to have been 
given by Hermes to Odysseus (Ulysses) to coun- 
teract the spells of Circe. 
And yet more med'cinal is it than that moly 
That Hermes once to wise Ulysses gave. 
Milton, Comus, 1. 636. 
But as ye hearb moly hath a floure as white as snow, 
and a roote as blacke as incke, so age hath a white head, 
showing pietie, but a black hart, swelling with mischiefe. 
Lyly, Euphues and his England (Arber's Reprints, IV. 231). 
Homer is of opinion That the principal! and soveraigne 
hearb of all others is moly ; so called (as he thinketh) by 
the Gods themselves. Holland, tr. of Pliny, xxv. 4. 
2. Wild garlic, Allium Moly. The moly of Dios- 
corides is said to have been Allium subhirsutum ; 
the dwarf moly is A. Chanuemoly. 
molybdate (mo-lib'dat), n. [< molybd(ic) + 
-ate 1 .] A compound of molybdic acid with a 
base. Molybdate of lead, yellow lead ore; the min- 
eral wulfenite. See wulfenite. 
molybdena (mol-ib-de'na), n. [= P. molybdene 
= Sp. It. molibdena = Pg. molybdene, molybdena, 
< L. molybd&na, < Gr. /iol(</3<5aiva, galena or lith- 
arge, < /i62.vj36of, lead, = L. plumbum, lead: see 
plumb.] Same as molybdenum. 
molybdeniferous (moFib-de-nif'e-rus), a. [< 
L. molybdtcna (see molybdena) -f- ferre = E. 
bear 1 .] Containing molybdenum. 
molybdenite (mol-ib-de'nit), . [< molybdena 
+ -ite 2 . ] Sulphid of molybdenum, occurring in 
foliated masses or in scales, less often in hex- 
agonal crystals, of a lead-gray color and metallic 
luster. It is very soft, and, like graphite, which 
it closely resembles, leaves a trace on paper. 
molybdenous (mol-ib-de'nus), a. [< molybde- 
num + -ous.] Pertaining to or obtained from 
molybdenum. 
molybdenum (mol-ib-de'num), n. [< NL. molyb- 
denum, a later form forL. molybdcena: see molyb- 
dena.'] Chemical symbol, Mo ; atomic weight, 
95.8. A metal of a silver-white color, but hard- 
er than silver, which fuses with difficulty, if at 
all, at the highest temperature of a wind-fur- 
nace. Its specific gravity is 8.6. It is chemically re- 
lated to chromium, tungsten, and uranium, and, like those 
metals, forms trioxids which are acid-forming and yield 
very characteristic salts. It is remarkable for the number 
of oxids and corresponding chlorids which it forms ; but 
it is the least important economically of the group to 
which it belongs. The most abundant ore of molybdenum 
is the sulphuret (molybdenite), and the strong external 
resemblance of this mineral to graphite (Latin plumbago) 
led to the confusion of molybdena with that substance; 
moreover, external resemblance and certain chemical pe- 
culiarities caused still further difficulties of nomencla- 
ture, in which manganese, antimony, and even magnesia 
were involved. Thus, the peroxid of manganese was 
called by Liunseus molybd&num magnesii. These per- 
plexities were not cleared up until toward the end of 
the last century ; but finally, as the result of the labors 
of Scheele, Bergman, and Hjelm (1778-90), the metal 
moment 
molybdena, or molybdenum, as it is now more generally 
called, was isolated from its combinations. The ores of 
molybdenum are somewhat widely diffused, but rarely 
occur in any considerable quantity. The principal molyb- 
deniferous minerals are molybdenite and wulfenite. There 
is also a molybdic ocher (the trioxid) and a carbonate 
(pateraite) ; various ores of iron also contain traces of 
this metal. 
molybdic (mo-lib'dik), . l=F.motybdique; as 
molybd(enuni) + -ic.] Pertaining to or obtained 
from molybdenum Molybdic acid, H 2 Mo04, an 
acid of molybdenum, which may be obtained in yellow 
crystalline crusts. Its salts are called molybdates. Mo- 
lybdic ocher, native molybdic oxid. 
mplybdin (mo-lib'din), w. [< molybdenum) + 
-i2.] Molybdic ocher. 
mplybdite (mo-lib'dit), . [<m/ilybd(enum) + 
-ite*.] Molybdic ocher. 
molybdocollC (mo-lib-do-kol'ik), n. [< Gr. //oAu/3- 
<5of, lead, + Kufaur/, colic: see colic.] Lead-colic. 
molybdomenite (mo-lib-do-me'nlt), n. [< Gr. 
/j6^.vft6of, lead, + /"'/v>i, moon, + -lie 2 (ef. sele- 
nite).] A rare lead selenite, occurring in thin 
transparent scales of a white or greenish color, 
found with other selenium minerals at Cacheu- 
ta in the Argentine Republic. 
molybdoparesis (mo-lib-do-par' e-sis),. [NL., 
< Gr. ft6^v/36of, lead, + ira/icai/;, palsy.] Lead- 
palsy. 
molybdosis (mol-ib-do'sis), n. [NL., < Gr. //o- 
/lu/3(Sof, lead.] Lead-poisoning. 
molyne (mo-li-na'), a. [See moline.] In her., 
same as moline when applied to a cross. 
molysite (mol'i-sit), n. [Said to be < Gr. *^6Av- 
ai$, var. of fiohwnit;, a staining, defilement, < ,uo- 
'Aiivetv, stain, also half-cook, + -ite 2 .] A chlorid 
of iron occurring as a thin yellow or red incrus- 
tation on lava at Vesuvius. 
momt, a,., n., and v. See mum 1 . 
momblementt, See mumblei>ient. 
momblishness (mom'blish-nes), n. Muttering 
talk. Bailey, 1731. 
mome 1 (mom), n. [< OF. mome, a mask: see 
mum 2 .] A buffoon; a fool; a blockhead; a 
ninny; a dull person; a stupid fellow. 
I dare be bold awhile to play the mome, 
Out of my sacke some other faults to lease. 
Mir. for Mags., 466. (Nares.) 
Mome, malt-horse, capon, coxcomb, idiot, patch ! 
Shak., C. of E., iii. 1. 32. 
Words are but wind, but blowes come home, 
A stout tongu'd lawyer 's but a mome. 
Brome's Songs (1661), p. 105. (Halliwell.) 
Parnassus is not clome 
By every such mome. 
Drayton, Skeltoniad, p. 1373. (Nares.) 
Away with this foolish mome ! 
Flodden Field (Child's Ballads, VII. 73). 
mome 2 (mom), a. [Cf. mum 1 .] Soft; smooth. 
Halliwell. [North. Eng.] 
mome s t, [ME. moine = MD. moeme, D. moei 
= MLG. mome = OHG. muomd, MHG. muome, 
G. muhme, aunt, cousin ; cf. Icel. mdna, mother; 
prob. orig. ' mother's sister,' and related to AS. 
modor, E. mother: see mother 1 .] An aunt. No- 
minale MS. (Halliwell.) 
momeleti *' An obsolete form of mumble. 
moment (mo'ment), n. [< F. moment = Sp. 
Pg. It. momenta, a moment, < L. momentum, a 
balance, balancing, alteration, a particle suffi- 
cient to turn the scales, hence a particle, point, 
point of time, short time, moment, a cause, 
circumstance, matter, weight, influence ; contr. 
of *mor(i)mentum, < movere, move : see move, v. 
Cf. movement.] 1. A space of time incalcula- 
bly or indefinitely small, (a) Time too brief for 
reckoning ; an instant : as, I have but a moment to spare ; 
wait a moment. 
We shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling 
of an eye. 1 COT. xv. 52. 
Do not delay ; the golden moments fly ! 
Longfellow, Masque of Pandora, vii. 
(6) Precise point of time ; exact or very instant, as of a 
motion, action, or occurrence : as, at that moment he ex- 
pired. 
A prince, the moment he is crown'd, 
Inherits every virtue sound. 
Swift, On Poetry, 1. 90. 
Every moment dies a man, 
Every moment one is born. 
Tennyson, Vision of Sin, iv. 
(c) A brief interval; the passing time: in the phrase for 
a or the moment : as, for a moment he was at a loss. 
The lip of truth shall be established for ever ; but a ly- 
ing tongue is but for a mmnent. Prov. xii. 19. 
The " Daily News " expresses the general sense ... in 
recognizing defeat as decisive for the moment. 
New York Tribune, July 15, 188(>. 
2. The present time; especially, with the def- 
inite article, the precise instant of opportunity. 
The mmnent should be improved; if suffered to pass 
away, it may never return. 
Washington, in Bancroft's Hist. Const., I. 21. 
