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mould

(n): loose soil rich in organic matter
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about 1 month ago qroqqa said:

I was surprised to learn on the weekend that 'mould' "fungal coating" is not related to the 'mould' meaning "earth, soil" but normally encountered in combinations like 'mouldboard' "part of a plough", 'mouldwarp' "mole (animal)", 'grave-mould' "earth of the grave", and 'moulder' "rot, crumble".

As this 'mould' is unfamiliar on its own, 'grave-mould' has sometimes been reinterpreted as containing the other one: indeed, Joyce does so in Ulysses:

Stephen's mother, emaciated, rises stark through the floor, in leper grey with a wreath of faded orangeblossoms and a torn bridal veil, her face worn and noseless, green with gravemould.

(The 'mould' meaning "matrix, model, form" is again unrelated. And 'mole' the animal is not related to its alternative name 'mouldwarp'.)

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SonofGroucho (4686 words)
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