| 释义 |
mold
I. noun
or mould \ˈmōld\
(-s)
Etymology: Middle English mold, molde, from Old English molde sand, dust, soil; akin to Old High German molta dust, soil, Old Norse mold, Gothic mulde dust, soil, Old High German malan to grind — more at meal
1. : crumbling soft friable earth suited to plant growth : soil; especially : soil rich in humus — see leaf mold
2. dialect Britain
a. : the surface of the earth : ground
< the fairest knight on Scottish mold — Sir Walter Scott >
b. : the earth of the burying ground
< calling his ghost to the mold — A.P.Graves >
— often used in plural
< were baith in the molds — Sir Walter Scott >
3. archaic : earth that is the substance of the human body
< leprous sin will melt from human mold — John Milton >
< be merciful great Duke to men of mold — Shakespeare >
II. verb
also mould \“\
(-ed/-ing/-s)
intransitive verb
: molder
< it was closed for ages, molding away — Angus Mowat >
transitive verb
: to cover with soil or mold : hill up
< potatoes … should be kept weed-free and molded — New Zealand Journal of Agric. >
III. noun
or mould \“\
(-s)
Usage: often attributive
Etymology: Middle English molde, mold, from Old French modle, molle, moule, from Latin modulus, diminutive of modus measure — more at mode
1. : distinctive nature or character : type, stamp
< a philosopher of the grand mold — D.C.Williams >
2.
a. : a pattern or template that serves as a guide for construction; specifically : a thin wood or paper pattern for part of a ship made in a mold loft
b.
(1) : the frame on or around which an object is constructed
< laid the dome on a mold of packed earth — Green Peyton >
(2) : a wire-covered frame for forming sheets of paper; especially : one of the cylinders covered with wire cloth that forms the sheet on a cylinder machine
3.
a. : a cavity in which a fluid or malleable substance is given form: as
(1) : a container (as of gypsum, rubber, metal, or wood) in which a piece of ceramic ware is formed
(2) : a form for making bricks
(3) : a metal form for casting cement, mortar, or concrete test specimens
(4) : a matrix in which an article (as of metal, glass, or plastic) is shaped by casting or pressure molding; specifically : a recessed matrix from which a relief printing surface (as type or a stereotype or electrotype) is cast
(5) : a cooking utensil in which a dish (as a pudding or jelly) is given a decorative shape
(6) : a carved wooden block by means of which a design is pressed into a soft food (as cookie dough or butter)
b. : a molded object
< plaster mold >
< fill the center of the ring mold with cottage cheese >
4.
a. : molding
b. : a group of moldings
5.
a. obsolete : an example to be followed
< the glass of fashion and the mold of form — Shakespeare >
b. : a prototype from which an idea or individual is derived
< thou all-shaking thunder … crack nature's molds — Shakespeare >
< an integral part of the team and cut from the same heroic mold — A.J.Daley >
c. : a fixed pattern or contour : design, cast
< compresses all these characters into the relentless mold of the story — E.B.Garside >
< settling in the mold of a dignified, permanent community — Mabel R. Gillis >
d. obsolete : a fashionable style : mode
< houses of the new mold in London — Peter Heylin >
6. : a package of goldbeater's skin usually consisting of about 900 pieces
7.
a. : an impression made in earth or rock by the outside of a fossil shell or other organic form
b. : a cast of the inner surface of such a fossil — compare cast II 7a(2)
8. : a grained copper photoengraving plate with the gelatin image on it ready for etching
IV. verb
or mould \“\
(-ed/-ing/-s)
Etymology: Middle English molden, from molde, mold, n.
transitive verb
1.
a. archaic : to knead (dough) into a desired consistency or shape
b. : to give shape to (as a fluid or malleable substance)
< the wind molds the waves >
< his long hands molding the air — Time >
< chemical processes that … are now molding the earth's crust — W.H.Bucher >
c. obsolete : to be a component of : help to build
< all princely graces that mold up such a mighty piece as this — Shakespeare >
2.
a.
(1) : to form by pouring or pressing into a mold
< mold a glass bottle >
< to attain a flare in design it is necessary to mold the plywood into shape — R.J.Whittier >
< mold a stereotype >
(2) : to make a mold from
< mold a type form >
b. : to form a foundry mold of (as in sand)
c. : to exert influence on : determine the ultimate quality or nature of
< mold public opinion >
< environmental factors which mold the minds and emotions of youngsters — R.H.Wittcoff >
< the culture of the Western world has been molded by the Bible — I.M.Price >
< a great scholar who has molded his taste and judgment through reflective reading — E.S.McCastney >
3. : to fit the contours of : hug
< molded hipline >
< silhouettes that mold the body — New Yorker >
4. : to ornament by molding or carving the material of
< ceilings … with molded or precast ornamental patterns — H.S.Morrison >
intransitive verb
1. : to become formed : take shape
< the Norman man-at-arms had begun to mold into the English country gentleman — Ecclesiologist >
2. : to become fitted to a contour : adapt
< cloche … so flexible it molds to any head size — New York Times >
< the river ran, leaped, molded to rocks and leaped again — Philip Murray b.1924 >
3. : to make or use a mold
< the outstanding development in molding — Technical News Bulletin >
V. noun
also mould \“\
(-s)
Etymology: Middle English mowlde, perhaps alteration (influenced by molde soil) of mowle, from moulen to grow moldy; akin to Old Norse mygla to grow moldy — more at mold I
1. : a superficial often woolly growth produced on various forms of organic matter especially when damp or decaying and on living organisms
2. : a fungus especially of the order Mucorales that produces mold — compare black mold, blue mold, mildew
VI. verb
or mould \“\
(-ed/-ing/-s)
Etymology: Middle English mouleden, from mowlde, n.
transitive verb
obsolete : to allow to become moldy
< hoarding housewives that do mold their food — William Browne >
intransitive verb
1. : to become moldy
< bread tends to mold in damp weather >
2. obsolete : to deteriorate for lack of use
< the man that molds in idle cell — Edmund Spenser > |