mothball

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun

A small ball of chemical pesticide (originally camphor and now typically naphthalene or paradichlorobenzene) and deodorant placed in or around clothing and other articles to deter moth larvae which may damage them.

verb

To store (clothing, etc.) with mothballs (noun sense 1).
To stop using (something), and often to put it in storage; specifically, while keeping it in good condition so it can be used in the future.
To stop work on (a plan, project, etc.) for the time being; to postpone, to shelve.

/ˈmɒθbɔːl/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-mothball.wav /ˈmɔθˌbɔl/ /ˈmɑθˌbɑl/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Naomi Persephone Amethyst (NaomiAmethyst)-mothball.wav

mothball mothballs moth-ball moth ball mothballing mothballed

The noun is derived from moth + ball. The verb is derived from the noun.

defer set aside

demothball unmothball

in mothballs mothbally demothball mothballed mothballer mothballing unmothball

This entry uses open data from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA/GFDL). Word forms are used for search and are not indexed as separate pages.

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