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mothball

[mawth-bawl, moth-]
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noun
  1. a small ball of naphthalene or sometimes of camphor for placing in closets or other storage areas to repel moths from clothing, blankets, etc.
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verb (used with object)
  1. to put into storage or reserve; inactivate.
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adjective
  1. inactive; unused; stored away: a mothball fleet.
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Idioms
  1. in mothballs,
    1. in disuse or in storage, especially with reference to standby equipment.
    2. (of ideas) dismissed as unworthy of further deliberation.
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Origin of mothball

First recorded in 1905–10; moth + ball1
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
British Dictionary definitions for mothball

mothball

noun
  1. Also called: camphor ball a small ball of camphor or naphthalene used to repel clothes moths in stored clothing, blankets, etc
  2. put in mothballs to postpone work on (a project, activity, etc)
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verb (tr)
  1. to prepare (a ship, aircraft, etc) for a long period of storage by sealing all openings with plastic to prevent corrosion
  2. to take (a factory, plant, etc) out of operation but maintain it so that it can be used in the future
  3. to postpone work on (a project, activity, etc)
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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

Word Origin and History for mothball

n.

also moth-ball, moth ball, "naphthalene ball stored among fabrics to keep off moths," 1891, from moth + ball (n.1).

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v.

1902 in a literal sense (to store away with mothballs), from mothball (n.); figurative sense from 1901.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper