noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun

1. 1
   The stripping off of an outer layer of skin by snakes and certain other animals; typically in accommodation to growth or wear-and-tear; as distinct from the term "moulting", not in reference to the shedding of hair or feathers. countable, uncountable
2. 2
   periodic shedding of the cuticle in arthropods or the outer skin in reptiles wordnet
3. 3
   The shedding of an exoskeleton, as in insects and crustaceans. countable, uncountable

Synonyms

All synonyms

moltmoltmoltingmoultmoulting

Antonyms

All antonyms

endysis

Etymology

From Ancient Greek ἔκδυσις (ékdusis, “stripping”), from ἐκδύω (ekdúō, “I take off”), from ἐκ (ek, “out”) + δύω (dúō, “I get in”).

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.