v., moult·ed, moult·ing, moults.<br />
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v.intr.
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To shed periodically part or all of a coat or an outer covering, such as feathers, cuticle, or skin, which is then replaced by a new growth.<br />
v.tr.<br />
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To shed or cast off (a bodily covering).<br />
n.<br />
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   1. The act or process of molting.<br />
   2. The material cast off during molting.<br />
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In biology, moulting (or molting,[1] also known as shedding or for some species, ecdysis) signifies the manner in which an animal routinely casts off a part of its body (often but not always an outer layer or covering), either at specific times of year, or at specific points in its life-cycle.<br />
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Molting can involve the epidermis (skin), hair or fur, or other external layer. In some species, other body parts may be shed, for example, wings in some insects. Examples include old feathers in birds, old hairs in mammals (especially dogs and other canidae), old skin in reptiles, and the entire exoskeleton in arthropods.