📖 M — The English dictionary · page 40

moil — Everyday, meaning 1: (old use) To moil is to work very hard, often in dirt or with tiring tasks.↗ Example: He had toiled and moiled all his life.↗ · The farmer moiled in the fields from dawn.↗ · Do not moil so hard; rest a while.↗ · After a day of moil, she was tired.↗

moist — Everyday, meaning 1: Moist means slightly wet or damp, but not soaking wet.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Moist food, like cake, is soft and not dry.↗ Example: Keep the soil moist so the seeds will grow.↗ · Woodlice live in moist, dark places.↗ · This chocolate cake is lovely and moist.↗ · Wipe the table with a moist cloth.↗ · Frogs need moist skin to breathe.↗ · The air in the rainforest is warm and moist.↗ · The grass was still moist from the morning dew.↗ · Her eyes were moist with tears.↗ · Presently twelve spoonbills came flying thither, struck the moist earth, turned into fair maidens, and began to bathe.↗ · The word חמפולמות is translated by Rashi, moist.↗ (Sefer Yetzirah, Kalisch 1877)↗ · Yea, He ladeth the thick cloud with moister, He spreadeth abroad the cloud of His lightning; (Writings JOB.37.11, JPS 1917)↗

moisten — Everyday, meaning 1: To make something slightly wet: «moisten the cloth».↗ Everyday, meaning 2: To become slightly wet: «her eyes moistened».↗ Example: Moisten the edges of the pastry so they stick.↗ · Moisten the sponge before wiping the board.↗ · Seeds sprout in moistened cotton wool.↗ · Grandpa's eyes moistened as he read the letter.↗ · Moisten the stamp to stick it on – or use a self-stick stamp.↗ · Use a damp cloth to moisten the clay.↗ · Moisten the soil, but don't flood it.↗ · The frog moistens its skin in the pond.↗ · "Moisten my tongue--bring me a refreshing draught."↗ · His pails are full of milk, and the marrow of his bones is moistened.↗ (Writings JOB.21.24, JPS 1917)↗

moisture — Everyday, meaning 1: Moisture is small amounts of water or other liquid in the air, in the ground or on a surface.↗ Example: The plants take moisture from the soil.↗ · Moisture on the window is called condensation.↗ · Keep the bread in a bag so it doesn't lose moisture.↗ · Salt soaks up moisture from the air.↗ · Dry the wood so there is no moisture left.↗ · Too much moisture in a room can make mould grow.↗ · Every thing was dripping with moisture, and the poor prince had not a dry thread about him.↗

moisturise — Everyday, meaning 1: To put cream or lotion on your skin so that it stays soft and does not get dry.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: To make something less dry by adding a little water or oil to it.↗ Example: Mum told me to moisturise my hands after washing up.↗ · In winter my skin gets so dry that I have to moisturise every night.↗ · The nurse said to moisturise the eczema patches twice a day.↗ · Dad never moisturises, and his lips get cracked.↗ · This shampoo claims to moisturise your hair.↗ · After swimming in chlorine, Grandma always moisturises her face.↗ · Moisturising cream feels cold when you first put it on.↗

mojave — Everyday, meaning 1: (a place) The Mojave Desert is a hot, dry desert in the south-western USA, mostly in California and Nevada; Death Valley, one of the hottest places on Earth, is in it.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (a people) The Mojave are a Native American people who live along the Colorado River.↗ Example: The Mojave Desert is in the south-west of the USA.↗ · Joshua trees grow in the Mojave Desert.↗ · Death Valley is in the Mojave and is very hot.↗ · The desert tortoise lives in the Mojave.↗ · The Mojave people live along the Colorado River.↗ · It hardly ever rains in the Mojave.↗ · The Mojave gets very cold at night.↗ · We watched a film about wildflowers blooming in the Mojave after rain.↗

molar — Everyday, meaning 1: A molar is one of the large, flat-topped teeth at the back of your mouth, used for grinding and chewing food.↗ Example: Molars are the big teeth at the back of your mouth.↗ · We chew and grind food with our molars.↗ · My new adult molar is coming through.↗ · The dentist sealed my molars to stop cavities.↗ · Cows have big flat molars for grinding grass.↗ · Wisdom teeth are the last molars to grow.↗ · Brush your back molars carefully.↗ · Lions have sharp teeth, but few grinding molars.↗

molasses — Everyday, meaning 1: A thick, dark, sticky syrup made when sugar is taken from sugar cane or sugar beet.↗ Example: Grandma uses molasses in her gingerbread.↗ · Molasses is thick and dark brown.↗ · You're as slow as molasses this morning!↗ · In the UK, people often say black treacle instead of molasses.↗ · Molasses was shipped from the Caribbean to make rum.↗ · In 1919 a molasses flood swept through Boston.↗ · "What has it got in it?" broke in some one; "molasses, kerosene, or train-oil?"↗

mole — Everyday, meaning 1: A mole is a small, furry animal with tiny eyes and big front paws that digs tunnels underground and eats worms.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: A mole is a small dark spot on someone's skin.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: A mole is a spy who works secretly inside an organisation and passes on its secrets.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: (science) In chemistry, a mole is a unit for counting a huge number of tiny particles, used by older students.↗ Everyday, meaning 5: A mole is also a stone wall built out into the sea to protect a harbour.↗ Example: A mole dug a tunnel under our lawn and left little hills of soil.↗ · Moles eat earthworms and can store them for later.↗ · Grandad has a mole on his cheek.↗ · If a mole on your skin changes, show it to a doctor.↗ · In the spy film, there was a mole inside the secret service.↗ · Don't make a mountain out of a molehill — it's only a scratch.↗ · A mole's big paws are like shovels.↗ · The fishing boats sheltered behind the mole in the harbour.↗ · The little Mole peered at it.↗ · In that day a man shall cast away his idols of silver, and his idols of gold, which they made for themselves to worship, to the moles and to the bats; (Prophets ISA.2.20, JPS 1917)↗

molecular — Everyday, meaning 1: (science) To do with molecules: the tiny groups of atoms joined together that make up substances.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (science) Happening at the level of molecules: «molecular biology», «a molecular model».↗ Example: We built a molecular model of water with balls and sticks.↗ · Molecular biology studies DNA.↗ · The molecular structure of diamond makes it very hard.↗ · Scientists use molecular tests to find viruses.↗ · The chef makes «caviar» from juice with molecular cooking tricks.↗ · Ice and water have the same molecules but a different molecular arrangement.↗ · Molecular scientists study very, very tiny things.↗ · The molecular formula of carbon dioxide is CO₂.↗

molecule — Everyday, meaning 1: A molecule is the smallest unit of a substance that still has its properties, made of two or more atoms joined together.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: A water molecule, for example, is two hydrogen atoms joined to one oxygen atom (H2O).↗ Example: A water molecule has three atoms.↗ · When ice melts, its molecules start to move more freely.↗ · Oxygen gas is made of molecules with two oxygen atoms.↗ · Smells reach your nose as tiny molecules floating in the air.↗ · Heating makes molecules move faster.↗ · Carbon dioxide molecules are breathed out by animals.↗ · A single drop of water has more molecules than there are stars we can see.↗

molehill — Everyday, meaning 1: A small pile of earth pushed up by a mole digging its tunnels underground.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: In the saying «make a mountain out of a molehill»: to treat a small problem as if it were a huge one.↗ Example: The football pitch was covered in molehills.↗ · A mole digs tunnels and pushes the soil up into molehills.↗ · You've only lost a pencil — don't make a mountain out of a molehill!↗ · Grandad grumbled about the molehills on his lawn.↗ · We never saw the mole, only fresh molehills each morning.↗ · Mum said the argument was a molehill, not a mountain.↗ · Gardeners sometimes use the fine soil from molehills for seed pots.↗

molest — Everyday, meaning 1: To molest is to bother, annoy or attack someone, usually to harm them.↗ Example: The dog did not molest the hens.↗ · Thieves came at night to molest the farm.↗ · The wolf would not molest the flock.↗ · Do not molest the birds in their nest.↗

mollie — Everyday, meaning 1: A mollie, or molly, is a small, lively freshwater fish often kept in home aquariums; the females give birth to live babies instead of laying eggs.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Mollie is a girls' name (a name), a pet form of Mary.↗ Example: We have three black mollies in our fish tank.↗ · Mollies give birth to live baby fish.↗ · The mollie hid behind the plant.↗ · Mollie is my best friend's name.↗ · In «Animal Farm», Mollie is a horse who loves ribbons and sugar.↗ · Sailfin mollies have a tall fin on their backs.↗

mollusc — Everyday, meaning 1: A mollusc is an animal with a soft body and no backbone, which often has a hard shell; snails, slugs, clams, mussels, oysters, octopuses and squid are molluscs.↗ Example: A snail is a mollusc with a coiled shell.↗ · Slugs are molluscs that have no shell.↗ · Octopuses are very clever molluscs.↗ · We found mollusc shells on the beach.↗ · Mussels and oysters are molluscs that live in the sea.↗ · A mollusc has no backbone.↗

molly — Everyday, meaning 1: Molly: a girl's name, often short for Mary.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: A small fish often kept in home aquariums, related to guppies.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (slang) A street name for an illegal drug (MDMA); it is dangerous and against the law.↗ Example: Molly has eight marbles and wins five more.↗ · We have two black mollies in our fish tank.↗ · Molly's dog is called Biscuit.↗ · Mollies give birth to live baby fish.↗ · The safety talk warned that «molly» is a dangerous drug.↗ · Stop mollycoddling him; he can tie his own laces!↗ · Molly is my cousin from Dublin.↗ · "They are Molly and me," said the boy.↗

molten — Everyday, meaning 1: Melted by great heat, about metal, rock or glass: molten lava.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (cooking, informal) Soft and runny in the middle: a molten chocolate cake.↗ Early Modern English, meaning 1: Made by pouring melted metal into a mould, so it is a solid thing shaped by heat; here it means a metal idol or gold that is melted and cast.↗ Example: Molten rock pours out of a volcano.↗ · The Earth's outer core is made of molten iron.↗ · Molten metal is poured into a mould.↗ · The glassblower shaped the molten glass.↗ · Be careful — molten wax is very hot!↗ · The pudding had a molten chocolate centre.↗ · Molten lava glowed red in the dark.↗ · Under the roof were loopholes to shoot through, and to pour down boiling water or even molten lead on the enemy, should he approach.↗ · Thou shalt make thee no molten gods.↗ (Torah EXO.34.17, JPS 1917)↗ · Turn ye not unto the idols, nor make to yourselves molten gods: I am the LORD your God.↗ (Torah LEV.19.4, JPS 1917)↗ · Cursed be the man that maketh a graven or molten image, an abomination unto the LORD, the work of the hands of the craftsman, and setteth it up in secret.↗ (Torah DEU.27.15, JPS 1917)↗ · They made a calf in Horeb, and worshipped a molten image.↗ (Writings PSA.106.19, JPS 1917)↗ · Who hath fashioned a god, or molten an image that is profitable for nothing?↗ (Prophets ISA.44.10, JPS 1917)↗ · Iron is taken out of the dust, and brass is molten out of the stone.↗ (Writings JOB.28.2, JPS 1917)↗ · Thou shalt make thee no molten gods.↗ (Torah EXO.34.17, JPS 1917) · “Why tears, beloved one?” cried the gnome anxiously; “every tear of yours falls upon my heart like a drop of molten gold.↗ (The Brown Fairy Book) · Turn ye not unto the idols, nor make to yourselves molten gods: I am the LORD your God.↗ (Torah LEV.19.4, JPS 1917)

mom — Everyday, meaning 1: (informal, USA and Canada) Mom is a child's word for mother.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Mom is also used as a name when talking to your mother.↗ e.g. "Mom, can I go out?"↗ Example: Mom made pancakes for breakfast.↗ · "Mom, where are my shoes?"↗ · My mom is a nurse.↗ · Mom is 36 and I am 9, so she is 27 years older than me.↗ · Mom and Dad came to the school play.↗ · I made a card for my mom.↗

moment — Everyday, meaning 1: A moment is a very short time.↗ «Wait a moment» means wait a little.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: A moment is also one exact point in time: «at that moment».↗ Everyday, meaning 3: An important time can be called a moment: a big moment, a proud moment.↗ Example: At that moment, Ben had 6 apples.↗ · Wait a moment while I count.↗ · At the moment, there are 20 birds on the tree.↗ · I'll be there in a moment.↗ · Winning the race was her proudest moment.↗ · The moment the bell rang, everyone ran outside.↗ · Just a moment, I'm on the phone.↗ · For a moment, nobody spoke.↗ · At that moment my dishes disappeared!"↗ · 'Separate yourselves from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment.'↗ (Torah NUM.16.21, JPS 1917)↗ · 'Get you up from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment.'↗ And they fell upon their faces.↗ (Torah NUM.16.45, JPS 1917)↗ · How are they become a desolation in a moment!↗ (Writings PSA.73.19, JPS 1917)↗ · And that Thou shouldest remember him every morning, and try him every moment?↗ (Writings JOB.7.18, JPS 1917)↗ · For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great compassion will I gather thee.↗ (Prophets ISA.54.7, JPS 1917)↗