moly

[ moh-lee ]

/ ˈmoʊ li /

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noun, plural mo·lies.Classical Mythology.

an herb given to Odysseus by Hermes to counteract the spells of Circe.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

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Origin of moly

<Latin mōly<Greek môly

Words nearby moly

molten, Moltke, molto, Moluccas, mol. wt., moly, molybdate, molybdate orange, molybdenite, molybdenosis, molybdenous

Other definitions for moly (2 of 2)

moly²

[ mol-ee ]

/ ˈmɒl i /

noun Informal.

molybdenum.

Origin of moly

By shortening

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

How to use moly in a sentence

Entertainment blog Holy Moly is among the most effusive with praise.
New Beyoncé Song 'Grown Woman' Leaks, Is Fantastic|Kevin Fallon|May 21, 2013|DAILY BEAST
When Orlean recently tweeted the question, “Is it ‘holy moly’ or ‘holey moley’ or ‘holy moley’?”
Timothy Hutton: Literary Sex God|Sean Kennedy|January 19, 2010|DAILY BEAST
Doubtless the dispute is still being carried on between these chieftains from their beds of asphodel and moly in Elysium.
The Collected Works of Ambrose Bierce|Ambrose Bierce
"Moly" (mo'ly), by Edith M. Thomas (1850-), in the best possible presentation of the value of integrity.
Poems Every Child Should Know|Various

Ulysses himself then goes, having obtained the plant moly; he subdues, enjoys; he releases his companions.
Homer's Odyssey|Denton J. Snider
Moly seems to have been Allium moly, one of the onion or garlic family.
The Romance of Plant Life|G. F. Scott Elliot
Ulysses resisted the enchantment by means of the herb moly, given him by Mercury.
Character Sketches of Romance, Fiction and the Drama, Vol 1|The Rev. E. Cobham Brewer, LL.D.

British Dictionary definitions for moly

moly

/ (ˈməʊlɪ) /

noun plural -lies

Greek myth a magic herb given by Hermes to Odysseus to nullify the spells of Circe

a liliaceous plant, Allium moly, that is native to S Europe and has yellow flowers in a dense cluster

Word Origin for moly

C16: from Latin mōly, from Greek mōlu

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