Adjacent Words

Mole definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

MOLE, n.
1. A spot, mark or small permanent protuberance on the human body, from which usually issue one or more hairs.
2. [L.mola.] A mass of fleshy matter of a spherical figure, generated in the uterus.
MOLE, n. [L. moles.]
1. A mound or massive work formed of large stones laid in the sea by means of coffer dams, extended either in a right line or an arch of a circle before a port, which it serves to defend from the violent impulse of the waves; thus protecting ships in a harbor. The word is sometimes used for the harbor itself.
2. Among the Romans, a kind of mausoleum, built like a round tower on a square base, insulated, encompassed with columns and covered with a dome.
MOLE, n. A small animal of the genus Talpa, which in search of worms or other insects, forms a road just under the surface of the ground, raising the soil into a little ridge; from which circumstance it is called a mold-warp, or mold-turner. The mole has very small eyes.
Learn of the mole to plow, the worm to weave.
MOLE, v.t. To clear of mole-hills. [Local.]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: the molecular weight of a substance expressed in grams; the basic unit of amount of substance adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites [syn: gram molecule, mole, mol]
2: a spy who works against enemy espionage [syn: counterspy, mole]
3: spicy sauce often containing chocolate
4: a small congenital pigmented spot on the skin
5: a protective structure of stone or concrete; extends from shore into the water to prevent a beach from washing away [syn: breakwater, groin, groyne, mole, bulwark, seawall, jetty]
6: small velvety-furred burrowing mammal having small eyes and fossorial forefeet

Merriam Webster's

I. noun Etymology: Middle English, from Old English m?l; akin to Old High German meil spot Date: 14th century a pigmented spot, mark, or small permanent protuberance on the human body; especially nevus II. noun Etymology: Middle English; akin to Middle Low German mol Date: 14th century 1. any of numerous burrowing insectivores (especially family Talpidae) with tiny eyes, concealed ears, and soft fur 2. one who works in the dark 3. a machine for tunneling 4. a spy (as a double agent) who establishes a cover long before beginning espionage; broadly one within an organization who passes on information III. noun Etymology: Middle English, from Latin mola mole, literally, mill, millstone — more at mill Date: 15th century an abnormal mass in the uterus especially when containing fetal tissues IV. noun Etymology: Middle French, from Old Italian molo, from Late Greek m?los, from Latin moles, literally, mass, exertion; akin to Greek m?los exertion Date: circa 1548 1. a massive work formed of masonry and large stones or earth laid in the sea as a pier or breakwater 2. the harbor formed by a mole V. noun also mol Etymology: German Mol, short for Molekulargewicht molecular weight, from molekular molecular + Gewicht weight Date: 1902 the base unit of amount of pure substance in the International System of Units that contains the same number of elementary entities as there are atoms in exactly 12 grams of the isotope carbon 12 VI. noun Etymology: Mexican Spanish, from Nahuatl m?lli sauce Date: 1901 a spicy sauce made with chilies and usually chocolate and served with meat

Oxford Reference Dictionary

1. n. 1 any small burrowing insect-eating mammal of the family Talpidae, esp. Talpa europaea, with dark velvety fur and very small eyes. 2 colloq. a a spy established deep within an organization and usu. dormant for a long period while attaining a position of trust. b a betrayer of confidential information. Etymology: ME molle, prob. f. MDu. moll(e), mol, MLG mol, mul 2. n. a small often slightly raised dark blemish on the skin caused by a high concentration of melanin. Etymology: OE mal f. Gmc 3. n. 1 a massive structure serving as a pier, breakwater, or causeway. 2 an artificial harbour. Etymology: F m{ocirc}le f. L moles mass 4. n. Chem. the SI unit of amount of substance equal to the quantity containing as many elementary units as there are atoms in 0.012 kg of carbon-12. Etymology: G Mol f. Molekül MOLECULE 5. n. Med. an abnormal mass of tissue in the uterus. Etymology: F m{ocirc}le f. L mola millstone

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Mole Mole, n. [AS. m[=a]l; akin to OHG. meil, Goth. mail Cf. Mail a spot.] 1. A spot; a stain; a mark which discolors or disfigures. [Obs.] --Piers Plowman. 2. A spot, mark, or small permanent protuberance on the human body; esp., a spot which is dark-colored, from which commonly issue one or more hairs.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Mole Mole, n. [L. mola.] A mass of fleshy or other more or less solid matter generated in the uterus.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Mole Mole, n. [F. m[^o]le, L. moles. Cf. Demolish, Emolument, Molest.] A mound or massive work formed of masonry or large stones, etc., laid in the sea, often extended either in a right line or an arc of a circle before a port which it serves to defend from the violence of the waves, thus protecting ships in a harbor; also, sometimes, the harbor itself. --Brande & C.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Mole Mole, n. [OE. molle, either shortened fr. moldwerp, or from the root of E. mold soil: cf. D. mol, OD. molworp. See Moldwarp.] 1. (Zo["o]l.) Any insectivore of the family Talpid[ae]. They have minute eyes and ears, soft fur, and very large and strong fore feet. Note: The common European mole, or moldwarp (Talpa Europ[ae]a), is noted for its extensive burrows. The common American mole, or shrew mole (Scalops aquaticus), and star-nosed mole (Condylura cristata) have similar habits. Note: In the Scriptures, the name is applied to two unindentified animals, perhaps the chameleon and mole rat. 2. A plow of peculiar construction, for forming underground drains. [U.S.]

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Mole Mole, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Moled; p. pr. & vb. n. Moling.] 1. To form holes in, as a mole; to burrow; to excavate; as, to mole the earth. 2. To clear of molehills. [Prov. Eng.] --Pegge.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(moles) 1. A mole is a natural dark spot or small dark lump on someone's skin. N-COUNT 2. A mole is a small animal with black fur that lives underground. N-COUNT 3. A mole is a member of a government or other organization who gives secret information to the press or to a rival organization. He had been recruited by the Russians as a mole and trained in Moscow. N-COUNT

Easton's Bible Dictionary

Heb. tinshameth (Lev. 11:30), probably signifies some species of lizard (rendered in R.V., "chameleon"). In Lev. 11:18, Deut. 14:16, it is rendered, in Authorized Version, "swan" (R.V., "horned owl").

The Heb. holed (Lev. 11:29), rendered "weasel," was probably the mole-rat. The true mole (Talpa Europoea) is not found in Palestine. The mole-rat (Spalax typhlus) "is twice the size of our mole, with no external eyes, and with only faint traces within of the rudimentary organ; no apparent ears, but, like the mole, with great internal organs of hearing; a strong, bare snout, and with large gnawing teeth; its colour a pale slate; its feet short, and provided with strong nails; its tail only rudimentary."

In Isa. 2:20, this word is the rendering of two words _haphar peroth_, which are rendered by Gesenius "into the digging of rats", i.e., rats' holes. But these two Hebrew words ought probably to be combined into one (lahporperoth) and translated "to the moles", i.e., the rat-moles. This animal "lives in underground communities, making large subterranean chambers for its young and for storehouses, with many runs connected with them, and is decidedly partial to the loose debris among ruins and stone-heaps, where it can form its chambers with least trouble."

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

mol:

(1) tinshemeth, the King James Version "mole," the Revised Version (British and American) "chameleon"; Septuagint aspalax = spalax, "mole," Vulgate (Jerome's Latin Bible, 390-405 A.D.) talpa, "mole" (Le 11:30);

(2) choledh, English Versions of the Bible "weasel"; Septuagint gale, "weasel" or "pole-cat"; compare Arabic khuld, "mole-rat" (Le 11:29);

(3) chaphar-peroth, English Versions of the Bible "moles"; from chaphar, "to dig"; compare Arabic chafar, "to dig," and perah, "mole" or "rat," for pe'erah, from the root pa'ar, "to dig"; compare Arabic fa'rat, or farat, "rat," "mouse," from the root fa'ar, "to dig"; Septuagint tois mataiois, "vain, idle, or profane persons" (Isa 2:20):

(1) Tinshemeth is the last of 8 unclean "creeping things" in Le 11:29,30. The word occurs also in Le 11:18 and De 14:16, translated the King James Version "swan," the Revised Version (British and American) "horned owl," Septuagint porphurion, "coot" or "heron." See CHAMELEON.

(2) Choledh is the first in the same list. The word occurs nowhere else, and is translated "weasel" in English Versions of the Bible, but comparison with the Arabic khuld has led to the suggestion that "mole-rat" would be a better translation. See WEASEL.

(3) In Isa 2:20, "In that day men shall cast away their idols .... to the moles and to the bats," chaphar-peroth, variously written as one word or two, is translated "moles" in English Versions of the Bible, but has given rise to much conjecture.

The European "mole," Talpa europea, is extensively distributed in the temperate parts of Europe and Asia, but is absent from Syria and Palestine, its place being taken by the mole-rat, Spalax typhlus. The true mole belongs to the Insectivora, and feeds on earth-worms and insect larvae, but in making its tunnels and nests, it incidentally injures gardens and lawns. The mole-rat belongs to the Rodentia, and has teeth of the same general type as those of a rat or squirrel, large, chisel-shaped incisors behind which is a large vacant space, no canines, and praemolars and molars with grinding surfaces. It is larger than the mole, but of the same color, and, like the mole, is blind. It makes tunnels much like those of the mole. It is herbivorous and has been observed to seize growing plants and draw them down into its hole. In one of its burrows a central chamber has been found filled with entire plants of the chummuc or chick-pea, and two side chambers containing pods plucked from the plants in the central chamber. While the mole digs with its powerful and peculiarly shaped front feet, the mole-rat digs with its nose, its feet being normal in shape.

See LIZARD.

Alfred Ely Day

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. 1. Jetty, pier, breakwater, mound, dike. 2. (Zool.) Mouldwarp, molewarp.

Moby Thesaurus

abutment, anchorage, anchorage ground, arc-boutant, arch dam, backstop, bamboo curtain, bank, bar, barrage, barrier, basin, bat, beam, bear-trap dam, beaver dam, benign tumor, berth, bilge, birthmark, blackhead, blain, blaze, bleb, blemish, blind man, blister, blob, blotch, boom, boss, bow, brand, breakwater, breastwork, brick wall, bubble, buffer, bulb, bulge, bulkhead, bulla, bulwark, bump, bunch, burl, button, buttress, buttress pier, buttressing, cahot, callosity, callus, cancer, carcinoma, caste mark, check, checkmark, chine, cicatrix, clump, cofferdam, comedo, condyle, convex, corn, crack, crater, craze, cut, cyst, dam, dapple, defacement, defect, defense, deformation, deformity, dike, discoloration, disfiguration, disfigurement, distortion, ditch, dock, dockage, dockyard, dot, dowel, dry dock, ear, earmark, earthwork, embankment, engraving, excrescence, fault, fence, flange, flap, flaw, fleck, flick, flying buttress, freckle, fungosity, fungus, gall, gash, gate, gnarl, graving, gravity dam, groin, growth, hack, handle, hanging buttress, harbor, harborage, haven, hemangioma, hickey, hill, hump, hunch, hydraulic-fill dam, intumescence, iron curtain, jam, jetty, jog, joggle, jot, jutty, keloid, kink, knob, knot, knur, knurl, landing, landing place, landing stage, leaping weir, lentigo, levee, lip, logjam, loop, lump, macula, malignant growth, marina, mark, marking, metastatic tumor, milium, milldam, moat, moorings, morbid growth, mottle, mound, mountain, needle scar, neoplasm, nevus, nick, nonmalignant tumor, notch, nub, nubbin, nubble, outgrowth, papilloma, parapet, patch, peg, pier, pier buttress, pimple, pit, pock, pockmark, point, polka dot, port, port-wine mark, port-wine stain, portcullis, prick, protected anchorage, proud flesh, puncture, pustule, quay, rampart, retaining wall, rib, ridge, rift, ring, road, roadblock, roads, roadstead, rock-fill dam, sarcoma, scab, scar, scarification, score, scotch, scratch, scratching, seaport, seawall, sebaceous cyst, shipyard, shoulder, shutter dam, slip, speck, speckle, spine, splash, split, splotch, spot, stain, stigma, stone wall, strawberry mark, stud, sty, style, tab, tattoo, tattoo mark, the blind, the sightless, the unseeing, tick, tittle, track, tubercle, tubercule, tumor, twist, verruca, vesicle, wale, wall, warp, wart, watermark, weal, weir, welt, wen, wharf, whitehead, wicket dam, work