mould

«mould» in Mova's school dictionary: a soft, furry growth, often green, white, blue or black… — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 5 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

part of speech

noun (mould / mold, uncountable for the fungus; a mould, moulds for shapes); verb (mould, moulds, moulded, moulding)

meaning for a pupil

1) Mould is a soft, furry growth, often green, white, blue or black, that grows on old food or damp walls; it is a kind of fungus. tree →

2) A mould is a hollow container that you pour a liquid into so it sets in that shape, like a jelly mould. tree →

3) To mould means to press or shape something soft, like clay, into a shape. tree →

4) To mould someone means to influence how they grow up and become. tree →

sense in the lessons

In science lessons: mould is a living thing (a fungus) that grows from tiny spores, likes warm, damp places and helps break down dead things; children watch bread go mouldy as an experiment. Safety: never eat mouldy food and don't sniff mould, because it can make you ill; damp, mouldy rooms are bad for breathing. In art: moulding clay and using moulds. Penicillin, a medicine, was found in a mould. Phrases: «covered in mould», «mouldy bread», «jelly mould», «break the mould» (do something new).

examples

• The bread was covered in green mould. tree →
• Don't eat food with mould on it. tree →
• We watched mould grow on bread for our science experiment. tree →
• Mould grows in warm, damp places. tree →
• Pour the jelly into the mould and let it set. tree →
• She moulded the clay into a little bowl. tree →
• Penicillin was discovered in a mould. tree →
• Open a window to stop mould growing in the bathroom. tree →
• "It is really necessary that I should mould the clay myself," he replied. tree →

note

Spelling: «mould» (UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Canada) and «mold» (US). Adjective: «mouldy / moldy». Mould is a fungus, like mushrooms, not a plant. Cutting mould off soft food does not make it safe, because mould grows roots inside.

In the corpora

• And yeast has a cousin nobody invited: the fluffy mould on old bread.
• The blue-green veins in blue cheese are a safe mould added on purpose; other moulds on food can be harmful.
• Mould grows from tiny spores in the air and likes damp, warm, sugary food.
• Mould sends threads deep into soft food, so cutting off the visible spot does not make soft food like strawberries safe.
• Cold slows down bacteria, mould and chemical reactions, so food lasts longer in the fridge.

Trees and pragmatics

Every meaning and example of «mould» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.