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Rot vs Mold - What's the difference?

rot | mold |

In intransitive terms the difference between rot and mold

is that rot is to deteriorate in any way while mold is to become moldy; to be covered or filled, in whole or in part, with a mold.

In transitive terms the difference between rot and mold

is that rot is to expose, as flax, to a process of maceration, etc., for the purpose of separating the fiber; to ret while mold is to cause to become moldy; to cause mold to grow upon.

rot

English

Verb

(rott)
  • To suffer decomposition due to biological action, especially by fungi or bacteria.
  • * Alexander Pope
  • Fixed like a plant on his peculiar spot, / To draw nutrition, propagate, and rot .
  • To decline in function or utility.
  • To deteriorate in any way.
  • I hope they all rot in prison for what they've done.
  • * Macaulay
  • Four of the sufferers were left to rot in irons.
  • * Thackeray
  • Rot , poor bachelor, in your club.
  • To make putrid; to cause to be wholly or partially decomposed by natural processes.
  • to rot vegetable fiber
  • To expose, as flax, to a process of maceration, etc., for the purpose of separating the fiber; to ret.
  • Derived terms

    * potter's rot

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • The process of becoming rotten; putrefaction.
  • Any of several diseases in which breakdown of tissue occurs.
  • * Milton
  • His cattle must of rot and murrain die.
  • Verbal nonsense.
  • Synonyms

    * (nonsense) See also

    Anagrams

    * (l), (l), (l), (l), (l), (l), (l) English intransitive verbs ----

    mold

    English

    (wikipedia mold)

    Alternative forms

    * mould (Commonwealth spelling)

    Etymology 1

    Via (etyl) and (etyl), from (etyl) modulus

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A hollow form or matrix for shaping a fluid or plastic substance.
  • A frame or model around or on which something is formed or shaped.
  • Something that is made in or shaped on a mold.
  • The shape or pattern of a mold.
  • General shape or form.
  • :
  • *(Alexander Pope) (1688-1744)
  • *:Crowned with an architrave of antique mould .
  • *
  • *:This new-comer was a man who in any company would have seemed striking.Indeed, all his features were in large mold , like the man himself, as though he had come from a day when skin garments made the proper garb of men.
  • Distinctive character or type.
  • :
  • A fixed or restrictive pattern or form.
  • :
  • (lb) A group of moldings.
  • :
  • (lb) A fontanelle.
  • Derived terms
    * break the mold * (archaeology) post mold * (paleontology) fossil mold

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To shape in or on a mold.
  • To form into a particular shape; to give shape to.
  • * Job 10:8-9, Old Testament , New International Version:
  • Your hands shaped me and made me....Remember that you molded me like clay.
  • To guide or determine the growth or development of; influence; as, a teacher who helps to mold the minds of his students
  • To fit closely by following the contours of.
  • To make a mold of or from (molten metal, for example) before casting.
  • To ornament with moldings.
  • To be shaped in or as if in a mold.
  • These shoes gradually molded to my feet.

    Etymology 2

    From (etyl) mowlde, noun use and alteration of mowled, past participle of moulen, 'slick, soft'. More at muck and meek.

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (senseid)A natural substance in the form of a woolly or furry growth of tiny fungi that appears when organic material lies for a long time exposed to (usually warm and moist) air.
  • Derived terms
    * moldy, mouldy
    See also
    * mildew

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To cause to become moldy; to cause mold to grow upon.
  • To become moldy; to be covered or filled, in whole or in part, with a mold.
  • Etymology 3

    From (etyl) ‘flour’), from *mel''- (compare English ''meal ). More at meal.

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • Loose friable soil, rich in humus and fit for planting.
  • Derived terms
    * leaf mold

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To cover with mold or soil.
  • English terms with multiple etymologies ----