Definition
"the way you are feeling at a particular time" (Online Learners Dictionary).
"Definition of Mood." Literary Devices, literarydevices.net/mood/. Accessed 10 Sept. 2022.
Informal Definition
Refers to the emotional response that the writer wishes to evoke in the reader through a story.
"mood." Oxford Learner's Dictionaries, www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/us/definition/english/mood?q=mood. Accessed 10 Sept. 2022.
Etymology
"emotional condition, state of mind as regards passion or feeling," c. 1300, from Old English mod "heart, frame of mind, spirit; courage, arrogance, pride; power, violence" (also used to translate Latin animus, mens), from Proto-Germanic *mōda- (source also of Old Saxon mod "mind, courage," Old Frisian mod "intellect, mind, intention," Old Norse moðr "wrath, anger," Middle Dutch moet, Dutch moed, Old High German muot, German Mut "courage," Gothic moþs "courage, anger"), a word of unknown origin (Boutkan finds no acceptable IE etymology)" (Online Etymology Dictionary).
"mood (n.1)." Online Etymology Dictionary, www.etymonline.com/word/mood. Accessed 10 Sept. 2022.