English Explanatory Dictionary

moth

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. Any flying insect of the order Lepidoptera not in the superfamily Papilionoidea, most species of which are nocturnal and can be distinguished from butterflies by feather-like antennae.
  2. Anything that gradually and silently eats, consumes, or wastes any other thing.
verb
  1. To hunt for moths.
noun
  1. A moth bean plant (Vigna aconitifolia).
noun
  1. A girlfriend.
noun
  1. Obsolete form of mote.
  2. A liver spot, especially an irregular or feathery one.

Pronunciation

/mɒθ/ En-UK-moth.oga môth /mɔθ/ /mɑθ/ mŏth en-us-moth.ogg /məʊt/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-moth (moat).wav mōt /moʊt/

Word forms

moth moths mothing mothed

Etymology

From Middle English moth, moththe, motthe, moght, mohþe, mouȝte, from Old English moþþe, mohþe, mohþa (“any destructive insect larva”), from Proto-West Germanic *moþþō, *mottō, from Proto-Germanic *muþþô, *muttô (“moth, worm”), from Proto-Indo-European *mutn-, *mut- (“worm”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian Motte (“moth”), West Frisian mot (“moth”), Dutch mot (“moth”), German Low German Motte, Mott (“moth”), German Motte (“moth”), Swedish mott (“moth”) and Norwegian Nynorsk mott (“moth”).

Synonyms

Turkish gram mat bean matki

Related words

butterfly caterpillar worm

Derived words

bagmoth budmoth fishmoth like a moth to a flame like a moth to flame like a moth to the flame macromoth micromoth mothball moth-ball moth ball moth blight moth borer moth butterfly moth-eaten mothed moth-er mother#Etymology 5 moth flower moth fly* moth freckle moth-fretted, moth-fretten moth gnat* moth hawk* moth-hunter moth hunter* mothicide moth lacewing mothless mothlike moth-like Mothman moth midge* moth miller moth mullein moth orchid* moth patch moth plant* mothproof, moth-proof moth sphinx* moth spot moth-time mothweed mothwing moth wing mothwort mothy moth bean moth flour
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