mole
B1The animal and skin mark senses are neutral/everyday. The spy sense is journalistic/political. The chemistry sense is academic/technical. The breakwater sense is technical/geographical.
Definition
Meaning
A small, velvety-furred mammal that lives underground and digs extensive tunnel systems.
Also refers to: 1) A spy who works from within an organization. 2) A small, often dark, spot on human skin. 3) A unit of measurement in chemistry. 4) A massive stone breakwater. 5) A sauce in Mexican cuisine.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
The word is a classic polyseme, with meanings spanning biology, espionage, medicine, chemistry, civil engineering, and cuisine. Context is crucial for disambiguation.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
The animal, spy, and skin mark senses are identical. The chemistry unit is universal in science. The breakwater sense is more common in UK coastal terminology (e.g., 'the Cobb at Lyme Regis is a famous mole'). 'Mole sauce' is understood but less common in the UK.
Connotations
Identical across senses. 'Mole' as a spy carries strong negative connotations of betrayal.
Frequency
The animal and skin mark senses are most frequent in everyday speech in both varieties. The spy sense is frequent in news/media contexts.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
[agent] is a mole[agent] has a mole[agent] found a mole[quantity] moles of [substance]Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “make a mountain out of a molehill”
- “blind as a mole”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Rare, except metaphorically ('a mole in the company leaking secrets').
Academic
Common in chemistry ('one mole of carbon'). Appears in biology (zoology) and medicine (dermatology).
Everyday
Common for the animal and the skin mark. ('There's a mole digging up the lawn.', 'She has a mole on her cheek.')
Technical
Chemistry: standard unit. Civil Engineering/Geography: a type of harbour structure. Espionage: a technical term for a deep-cover infiltrator.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- The badger began to mole through the soft earth.
- (Rare) To work as a spy from within.
American English
- The tunnelling machine moled its way under the city.
- (Rare) He was accused of moling for a foreign power.
adverb
British English
- Not standard.
American English
- Not standard.
adjective
British English
- (Rare, in compound nouns) mole-hill, mole-skin cloth.
American English
- (Rare, in compound nouns) mole tunnel, mole sauce recipe.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- I saw a mole in the garden.
- My grandmother has a mole on her nose.
- The mole dug many tunnels under our lawn.
- The journalist discovered a mole inside the government.
- Dermatologists recommend monitoring any changes in a skin mole.
- The double mole passed secrets to both sides for years.
- The reaction requires precisely two moles of hydrogen gas.
- The ancient stone mole protected the harbour from the fierce storms.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of a MOLE digging a HOLE to be a SPY, leaving a MARK (spot) on the ground, while a chemist counts them in a MOLE (heap).
Conceptual Metaphor
UNDERGROUND IS SECRET/HIDDEN (mole as spy), SMALL IS INSIGNIFICANT (molehill vs mountain).
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Do not confuse with Russian 'моль' (clothes moth).
- The spy 'mole' is 'крот' in Russian, same as the animal.
- The skin 'mole' is 'родинка' in Russian.
Common Mistakes
- Confusing the animal with a vole or shrew.
- Using 'mole' for a large skin growth (should be 'wart' or 'cyst').
- Misspelling as 'moil' or 'moll'.
- Pronouncing the chemistry unit differently from the animal (they are homophones).
Practice
Quiz
In which field is a 'mole' a standard scientific unit?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, but they have different etymologies. The animal comes from Old English 'māl', while the skin mark comes from Old English 'māl' meaning 'spot' or 'blemish'.
The metaphor comes from the animal's secretive, burrowing, and hidden nature. It was popularised by spy novelist John le Carré, though the term was used in intelligence circles before.
Yes, but it's less common. It can mean 'to burrow or tunnel like a mole' or, very rarely, 'to work as a spy infiltrator'.
Context is key. In a garden, it's the animal. In a spy novel, it's the infiltrator. In a doctor's office, it's the skin mark. In a chemistry lab, it's the unit.
Explore