What is "mole"

mole \mole\ n. A quantity of a substance equal to the molecular weight of a substance expressed in grams; a gram molecule; the basic unit of amount of substance adopted under the System International d'Unites; as, he added two moles of sodium chloride to the medium.

Syn: gram molecule, mol.

spot on skin, Old English mal "spot, mark, blemish," especially on cloth or linen, from Proto-Germanic *mailan "spot, mark" (cognates: Old High German meil, German Mal, Gothic mail "wrinkle"), from PIE root *mai- "to stain, defile" (cognates: Greek miainein "to stain, defile," see miasma). Specifically of dark marks on human skin from late 14c.

type of small burrowing mammal (Talpa europea), mid-14c., probably from obsolete moldwarp, literally "earth-thrower." Spy sense first recorded 1974 in John le Carré (but suggested from early 20c.), from notion of "burrowing." Metaphoric use for "one who works in darkness" is from c.1600.

"breakwater," 1540s, from Middle French môle "breakwater" (16c.), ultimately from Latin moles "mass, massive structure, barrier," from PIE root *mo- "to exert oneself" (cognates: Greek molos "effort," molis "hardly, scarcely;" German mühen "to tire," müde "weary, tired;" Russian majat' "to fatigue, exhaust," maja "hard work").

unit of molecular quantity, 1902, from German Mol coined 1900 by German chemist Wilhelm Ostwald (1853-1912), short for Molekül (see molecule).

Etymology 1 n. A pigmented spot on the skin, a naevus, slightly raised, and sometimes hairy. Etymology 2

alt. 1 Any of several small, burrowing insectivores of the family Talpidae. 2 Any of the burrowing rodents also called mole rats. 3 (context espionage English) An internal spy, a person who involves himself or herself with an enemy organisation, especially an intelligence or governmental organisation, to determine and betray its secrets from within. 4 A kind of self-propelled excavator used to form underground drains, or to clear underground pipelines n. 1 Any of several small, burrowing insectivores of the family Talpidae. 2 Any of the burrowing rodents also called mole rats. 3 (context espionage English) An internal spy, a person who involves himself or herself with an enemy organisation, especially an intelligence or governmental organisation, to determine and betray its secrets from within. 4 A kind of self-propelled excavator used to form underground drains, or to clear underground pipelines Etymology 3

n. A moll, a bitch, a slut. Etymology 4

n. 1 (context nautical English) A massive structure, usually of stone, used as a pier, breakwater or junction between places separated by water. (accessed: March 30, 2007) 2 (context rare English) A haven or harbour, protected with such a breakwater. Etymology 5

alt. (context chemistry physics English) In the International System of Units, the base unit of amount of substance; the amount of substance of a system which contains as many elementary entities as there are atoms in 0.012 kilogram of carbon-12. Symbol: mol. The number of atoms is known as Avogadro's number n. (context chemistry physics English) In the International System of Units, the base unit of amount of substance; the amount of substance of a system which contains as many elementary entities as there are atoms in 0.012 kilogram of carbon-12. Symbol: mol. The number of atoms is known as Avogadro's number Etymology 6

n. A hemorrhagic mass of tissue in the uterus caused by a dead ovum. Etymology 7

n. One of several spicy sauces typical of the cuisine of Mexico and neighboring Central America, especially the sauce which contains chocolate and which is used in cooking main dishes, not desserts. (accessed: March 30, 2007)

1. n. the molecular weight of a substance expressed in grams; the basic unit of amount of substance adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites [syn: gram molecule, mol]

2. a spy who works against enemy espionage [syn: counterspy]

3. spicy sauce often containing chocolate

4. a small congenital pigmented spot on the skin

5. a protective structure of stone or concrete; extends from shore into the water to prevent a beach from washing away [syn: breakwater, groin, groyne, bulwark, seawall, jetty]

6. small velvety-furred burrowing mammal having small eyes and fossorial forefeet

Mole, The Mole or variants may refer to:

The Mole (in the Czech original called Krtek, or, for little mole, Krteček; Slovak Krtko) is an animated character in a series of cartoons, created by Czech animator Zdeněk Miler. The premiere of the first short film with the Mole was on Venice Film Festival in 1957. Since its inception, the cartoon won itself an enormous popularity in many Central European countries, as well as India, China, Kazakhstan, Russia, Iraq and Japan, due its distinct lack of dialogue.

The mole is the unit of measurement in the International System of Units (SI) for amount of substance. It is defined as the amount of a chemical substance that contains as many elementary entities, e.g., atoms, molecules, ions, electrons, or photons, as there are atoms in 12 grams of carbon-12 (C), the isotope of carbon with relative atomic mass 12 by definition. This number is expressed by the Avogadro constant, which has a value of . The mole is one of the base units of the SI, and has the unit symbol mol.

The mole is widely used in chemistry as a convenient way to express amounts of reactants and products of chemical reactions. For example, the chemical equation implies that 2 mol of dihydrogen (H) and 1 mol of dioxygen (O) react to form 2 mol of water (HO). The mole may also be used to express the number of atoms, ions, or other elementary entities in a given sample of any substance. The concentration of a solution is commonly expressed by its molarity, defined as the number of moles of the dissolved substance per litre of solution.

While according to the official SI definition, the words "mol(es) of" should be followed by a singular word denoting a substance ("water", "oxygen"), they are commonly used by chemists with a plural word referring to elementary entities, such as atoms or electrons. In this usage, mole is a number equal to 0.6022 trillion trillions, i.e. Avogadro's number. The expression "mol(es) of electrons", widely used in electrochemistry, is particularly incompatible with the SI definition since there is no 'electron substance' whose amount could be quantified.

The number of molecules per mole is known as Avogadro's constant, and is defined such that the mass of one mole of a substance, expressed in grams, is equal to the mean relative molecular mass of the substance. For example, the mean relative molecular mass of natural water is about 18.015, therefore, one mole of water has a mass of about 18.015 grams.

The term gram-molecule was formerly used for essentially the same concept. The term gram-atom has been used for a related but distinct concept, namely a quantity of a substance that contains Avogadro's number of atoms, whether isolated or combined in molecules. Thus, for example, 1 mole of MgB is 1 gram-molecule of MgB but 3 gram-atoms of MgB.

In honor of the unit, some chemists celebrate October 23, which is a reference to the 10 scale of the Avogadro constant, as " Mole Day". Some also do the same for February 6 and June 2.

Moles are small mammals adapted to a subterranean lifestyle (i.e., fossorial). They have cylindrical bodies, velvety fur, very small, inconspicuous ears and eyes, reduced hindlimbs and short, powerful forelimbs with large paws adapted for digging. The term "mole" is especially and most properly used for "true moles" of the Talpidae family in the order Soricomorpha found in most parts of North America, Asia, and Europe although may refer to other completely unrelated mammals of Australia and southern Africa that have also evolved the mole body plan; it is not commonly used for some talpids, such as desmans and shrew-moles, which do not quite fit the common definition of "mole".

In espionage jargon, a mole (also called a “penetration agent”, “deep cover agent”, or “ sleeper agent”) is a long-term spy (espionage agent) who is recruited before having access to secret intelligence, subsequently managing to get into the target organization. However, it is popularly used to mean any long-term clandestine spy or informant within an organization, government or private.

The term was introduced to the public by British spy novelist John Le Carré in his 1974 novel Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy and has since entered general usage, but its origin is unclear, as well as to what extent it was used by intelligence services before it became popularized. Le Carré, a former British intelligence officer, has said that the term mole was actually used by the Soviet intelligence agency, the KGB, and that a corresponding term used by Western intelligence services was sleeper agent. While the term mole had been applied to spies in the book Historie of the Reign of King Henry VII written in 1626 by Sir Francis Bacon Le Carré has said he did not get the term from that source.

A mole is a massive structure, usually of stone, used as a pier, breakwater, or a causeway between places separated by water. The word comes from Middle French mole, ultimately from Latin mōlēs, meaning a large mass, especially of rock, and it has the same root as molecule. A mole may have a wooden structure built on top of it that resembles a wooden pier. The defining feature of a mole, however, is that water cannot freely flow underneath it, unlike a true pier. The oldest known mole is at Wadi al-Jarf, an ancient Egyptian harbor complex on the Red Sea.

Molé can refer to:

• Molé family
  • Louis-Mathieu Molé
  • Mathieu Molé

Mole is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:

• Charles Mole (1886–1962), British architect
• Chris Mole (born 1958), UK Labour Member of Parliament
• Fenton Mole (born 1925), American baseball player
• Jamie Mole (born 1988), English professional footballer
• Miff Mole, (1898–1961), American jazz trombonist and band leader

Fictional characters:

• Adrian Mole, fictional diarist in a series of comic novels by Sue Townsend
• Rosie Mole, Adrian's sister