What does moulter mean?
A moulter is a hawk that is moulting, meaning that it is shedding one set of feathers and growing another. The word is especially associated with young hawks and with the traditional practice of hawking, when the condition and readiness of a bird for hunting could be closely observed. It is now rare in ordinary modern English, but it preserves a specialized distinction: the bird itself is a moulter, while the process affecting its plumage is called moulting. The term may appear in historical falconry texts, descriptions of birds of prey, or older literary and sporting works. Although the spelling moulter survives chiefly in British usage, the variant molter is also encountered. The word is related to moult, the verb for shedding and replacing feathers or other outer coverings. Its specialized meaning gives it a more particular sense than the modern word bird and makes it chiefly interesting to readers of historical language, natural history, or falconry.
nounA hawk, especially a young hawk, that is moulting or shedding its feathers.
- A hawk, especially a young hawk, that is moulting or shedding its feathers.
"The young moulter was kept in a quiet perch while its old feathers were shed."
"The moulter sheltered quietly while its new feathers grew."
"The falconer's record described the bird as a moulter and advised that it not yet be flown."
The regular plural is moulters, although the headword itself is now rare.
"The falconers carefully observed the moulters as their new plumage developed."
A moulter is a hawk caught in the seasonal business of replacing its feathers.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does moulter come from?
Moulter is formed from moult with the agent suffix -er, literally meaning “one that moults.” Moult comes through Middle English from Old French moter, ultimately from Latin mutare, “to change,” an appropriate root for the replacement of one covering with another. The same Latin source also underlies English words such as mutate, mutation, and mutant.
How moulter is actually used
Now rare and largely confined to older English and the vocabulary of hawking and falconry. It is normally treated as a historical term rather than used in modern general speech.