mildew

[ mil-doo, -dyoo ]

See synonyms for: mildew mildewed mildewing mildewy on Thesaurus.com

noun

Plant Pathology. a disease of plants, characterized by a cottony, usually whitish coating on the surface of affected parts, caused by any of various fungi.
any of these fungi.: Compare downy mildew, powdery mildew.

any of similar coatings or discolorations, caused by fungi, as that which appears on fabrics, paper, leather, etc., when exposed to moisture.

verb (used with or without object)

to affect or become affected with mildew.

Origin of mildew

before 1000; Middle English: honeydew, mildew; Old English mildēaw, equivalent to mil- honey (cognate with Gothic milith, akin to Latin mel,Greek méli) + dēawdew

Other words from mildew

mildewy, adjective
un·mil·dewed, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use mildew in a sentence

Blast away grimy dirt and mildew from your patio, outdoor furniture, fences, driveways, and even cars and your stress will melt away.
7 gifts to take the stress out of stress-cleaning | Jessica Boddy | December 16, 2020 | Popular-Science
A rainy spring in Priorat brought mildew, cutting yields even at such top producers as Cellier Mas Doix, which started harvesting early, in August.
Wildfires, trade wars, COVID-19: The 2020 global wine harvest may go down as the most challenging yet | Bernhard Warner | September 20, 2020 | Fortune
Still, Château de Rochemorin lost 25% of its crop, due to mildew.
Wildfires, trade wars, COVID-19: The 2020 global wine harvest may go down as the most challenging yet | Bernhard Warner | September 20, 2020 | Fortune
She dried the teacup with a worn mildewed hand towel, also embroidered with Lily of the Valley.
Short Stories from The Daily Beast: Four Hundred Grand | Elliot Ackerman | July 6, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Many of the pictures in the gallery were warped and cracked, and mildewed by neglect and damp.
Art in England | Dutton Cook

When he relighted the candle he held in one hand a packet wrapped in a piece of mildewed leather.
In Friendship's Guise | Wm. Murray Graydon
In 1864, the Government found that quantities of grain paid in under the tax as new-grown were mildewed.
The Day of the Confederacy | Nathaniel W. Stephenson
You have steadily shut out the sun, and your minds have become musty, damp and mildewed.
Nuggets of the New Thought | William Walker Atkinson,
I may remark that the cabinet hed a gloomy and mildewed look.
Swingin Round the Cirkle. | Petroleum V. Nasby

British Dictionary definitions for mildew

mildew

/ (ˈmɪlˌdjuː) /

noun

any of various diseases of plants that affect mainly the leaves and are caused by parasitic fungi: See also downy mildew, powdery mildew
any fungus causing this kind of disease

another name for mould 2

verb

to affect or become affected with mildew

Origin of mildew

Old English mildēaw, from mil- honey (compare Latin mel, Greek mēli) + dēaw dew

Derived forms of mildew

mildewy, adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for mildew

mildew

[ mĭl′dōō′ ]

Any of various fungi or oomycete organisms that form a white or grayish coating on surfaces, such as plant leaves, cloth, or leather, especially under damp, warm conditions. Powdery mildews are important plant diseases usually caused by ascomycete fungi, while downy mildews, including a serious disease of grapevines, are caused by oomycetes.

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