Moldeweorpe

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An Old English name for the small burrowing mammal that digs tunnels and pushes up mounds of earth
2. The Old English term for a mole, a subterranean animal with velvety fur and powerful forelimbs for digging
3. A historical word for the blind, tunnelling creature whose soil heaps are visible on lawns and fields

Etymology: Long before it was a "mole," this animal was named for what it does: its Old English name, "moldeweorpe," means "earth-thrower." The first half is "mold," meaning loose soil, the same root as modern "mould." The second half comes from "weorpan," "to throw," which is related to the "warp" in "moldwarp," the form that survives in older English dialect. The name describes the mounds of earth the animal pushes up as it tunnels. Over the centuries the long name wore down. Its final syllables were dropped, and the animal became simply "mole," while "moldwarp" lingered in regional speech and older writing. The shortening is a case of ordinary word erosion, not a change in what the animal was called for. Few English animal names have kept so transparent a description of their behaviour.