mothball
English
[edit]Etymology
[edit]_20230315_180901.jpg)
The noun is derived from moth + ball.[1] The verb is derived from the noun.[2]
Pronunciation
[edit]- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈmɒθbɔːl/
Audio (Southern England): (file) - (General American) IPA(key): /ˈmɔθˌbɔl/, (cot–caught merger) /ˈmɑθˌbɑl/
Audio (General American); /ˈmɔθˌbɔl/: (file) - Hyphenation: moth‧ball
Noun
[edit]mothball (plural mothballs)
- (chiefly in the plural) 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.
- 1904, E. P. Burlingame, “Financial Statement to Accompany the Report of the Adjutant General”, in Annual Report of the Adjutant General of Oklahoma: for the Year Ending December 31, 1904 […], Guthrie, Okla.: The State Capital Company, →OCLC, page 25:
- There were two carloads of equipments. Upon their return to the armory the blankets were shook and repacked with mothballs; […]
- 1907, O. Henry [pseudonym; William Sydney Porter], “Seats of the Haughty”, in Heart of the West, New York, N.Y.: Doubleday, Page & Company for Review of Reviews Co., →OCLC, page 82:
- Me and Solly, as I now called him, prepared to shake off our moth-balls and wing our way against the arc-lights of the joyous and tuneful East.
- 1914 February, Sinclair Lewis, “He Becomes Mildly Religious and Highly Literary”, in Our Mr. Wrenn: The Romantic Adventures of a Gentle Man, New York, N.Y.: Grosset & Dunlap, →OCLC, pages 213–214:
- The church interior was as comfortable as Sunday-morning toast and marmalade— […] gorgeous stained-glass windows, and a general polite creaking of ladies' best stays and gentlemen's stiff shirt-bosoms, and an odor of the best cologne and moth-balls.
- 1955 July 21, [Richard Lewis] Neuberger, “Education Benefits rather than Compulsion for a Ready Reserve Force”, in Congressional Record: Proceedings and Debates of the 84th Congress, First Session (United States Senate), volume 101, part 9, Washington, D.C.: United States Government Printing Office, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 11131, column 2:
- Mr. President, I have supported the draft and shall do so as long as it is necessary. But I believe that when a draftee has served his 2 years and is released for normal civilian life, he should be free to place his uniform in mothballs until the Nation's safety requires his return to active duty.
Alternative forms
[edit]Derived terms
[edit]- in mothballs (“kept in good condition for later use”)
- mothbally
Translations
[edit]small ball of chemical pesticide to deter moth larvae
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Verb
[edit]mothball (third-person singular simple present mothballs, present participle mothballing, simple past and past participle mothballed) (transitive)
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- To store (clothing, etc.) with mothballs (noun noun sense 1).
- (figurative, chiefly passive voice)
- 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.
- Antonyms: demothball, unmothball
- They mothballed the old version after the new one came out.
- 1965 October 16, “News and Views: Energy Forecasts for Britain”, in Nature: A Weekly Journal of Science, volume 208, number 5007, London: Macmillan (Journals); New York, N.Y.: St. Martin’s Press, →OCLC, page 229, column 2:
- There is already considerable spare primary capacity because the coal is accessible and merely needs the men and machines to get it. We are unaware, however, of the physical and economic possibilities of mothballing pits, or of the extent to which the present surplus capacity of 40 million tons would match the capacity of loss-making pits which one would like to close.
- 1967, Robert G[reenhalgh] Albion, “United States. [33. Navy.]”, in The Encyclopedia Americana […], international edition, volume 27 (Trace to Venial Sin), New York, N.Y.: Americana Corporation, →OCLC, page 709, column 2:
- Following the war, along with the inevitable sharp reduction of forces, including the "mothballing" of a considerable part of the fleet as an inactive reserve, there were a few important developments affecting the navy.
- 2012, Sean Howe, chapter 16, in Marvel Comics: The Untold Story, New York, N.Y.: Harper, →ISBN:
- Years later, he [Walter Simonson] characterized the company's behavior as "abrupt, rude, and disrespectful," and railed against the mothballing of veteran creators.
- 2014 September 23, a teacher [pseudonym], “Choosing a primary school: a teacher’s guide for parents”, in Alan Rusbridger, editor, The Guardian[1], London: Guardian News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 26 July 2025:
- Some schools might have an art studio, an area of forestry in the playground, or a performance stage in the hall – all exceptional assets. Just check they get plenty of use and aren't mothballed while the school concentrates on (you guessed it) maths and literacy.
- 2021 March 10, Paul Shannon, “Freight’s New Gateways Score Highly on Location and Layout”, in Rail, number 926, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire: Bauer Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 34:
- In the short term NR [National Rail] could well mothball the line given its lack of traffic.
- 2021 December 13, Molly Ball, Jeffrey Kluger, Alejandro de la Garza, “Elon Musk: Person of the Year 2021”, in Time[2], New York, N.Y.: Time Inc., →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 13 December 2021:
- Before [Elon] Musk, America's space industry was moribund. In 2011, NASA mothballed the last space shuttle, after inking a deal with SpaceX to make uncrewed cargo resupply runs to the International Space Station (ISS).
- To stop work on (a plan, project, etc.) for the time being; to postpone, to shelve.
- 1991 September 26, [Carl] Levin, “Department of Defense Appropriations Act, Fiscal Year 1992”, in Congressional Record: Proceedings and Debates of the 102d Congress, First Session (United States Senate), volume 137, part 17, Washington, D.C.: United States Government Printing Office, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 24260, column 3:
- The fact that the START Treaty has just been signed is reason enough not to build one rail garrison train before mothballing the project.
- 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.
Derived terms
[edit]- demothball
- mothballed (adjective)
- mothballer
- mothballing (noun)
- unmothball
Translations
[edit]to store (clothing, etc.) with mothballs
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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
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References
[edit]- ^ “mothball, n.”, in OED Online
, Oxford: Oxford University Press, June 2025; “mothball, n.”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
- ^ “mothball, v.”, in OED Online , Oxford: Oxford University Press, September 2025; “mothball, v.”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
