Mold
/moʊld/noun
A fungus that grows in damp conditions, or soft, fine soil.
Did you know?English mold is historically tied to the idea of soft, friable earth and shares deep ancestry with words for the ground itself, not a spooky fungus name invented later.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*mel-
“to crush, grind, or make soft”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*muldō
“dust, fine earth, mold”
Old English
OE
mold
“earth, soil, ground”
Middle English
ME
mold
“earth; later, a growth of fungus on damp organic matter”
Modern English
English
mold
“a fungus that forms a fuzzy growth on food or surfaces; also soft earth or soil”