molt
verb
\ ˈmōlt
\
\
molted;
molting;
molts
Definition of molt
(Entry 1 of 2)
: to shed hair, feathers, shell, horns, or an outer layer periodically
Birds molt once or twice a year.
: to cast off (an outer covering) periodically
specifically
: to throw off (the old cuticle (see cuticle sense 1)
—used of arthropods a spider, like a lobster, molts its covering as it grows — Eugene Kinkead