Mould
MOULD, (i) (O. Eng. molde, from a Teutonic root meaning to grind, reduce to powder, cf. " meal "), loose fine earth, rich in organic matter, on the surface of cultivated ground, especially the made garden soil suitable for the growth of plants. In the sense of a furry growth, consisting of minute fungi found on animal or vegetable substances exposed to damp, the word may be either an extension of " mould," earth, or an adaptation of an early " moul," with an additional d due to " mould." " Moul " is a Scandinavian word, cf. Swed. mogla, to grow musty, and the Eng. colloquial " muggy." (2) A form or pattern, particularly one by means of which plastic materials may be made into shapes, whence " moulding," the form which the material so shaped takes. The word comes through the 0. Fr. modle, molle, from Lat. modulus, a measure, or standard. The English " model " is another derivative of the same word.
Note - this article incorporates content from Encyclopaedia Britannica, Eleventh Edition, (1910-1911)
