mouldy

English

Alternative forms

• moldy (US)

Etymology

Etymology tree

English mould

Proto-Indo-European *-kos

Proto-Germanic *-gaz

Proto-West Germanic *-g

Old English -iġ

Middle English -y

English -y

English mouldy

From mould + -y.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmoʊldi/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -əʊldi

Adjective

mouldy (comparative mouldier or more mouldy, superlative mouldiest or most mouldy)

1. Covered with mould.

   Synonyms: mouldering, mucid, rotten

2. (figurative) Showing signs of neglect; disused.

   Synonyms: disused, hoary, neglected; see also Thesaurus:obsolete

3. (UK, colloquial) Worthless; lousy; rotten.

   Synonyms: draffy, junky, two-bit; see also Thesaurus:worthless

   • 2014, Patricia Combs, Café Paradise:

     'Go cuddle up to your mouldy old papers,' she shouted at him. 'See how warm they'll keep you.' She slammed the door and made to walk off.

4. (obsolete, slang, derogatory) Gray-headed, whether from age or hair powder.

   Synonyms: grizzly, hoary, silver-haired; see also Thesaurus:grey-haired

   • 1820, Satirical and Political Pamphlets, page 27:

     Let him be great, as e'er he will, / He's rotten at the heart's core still; / Yet counsel from his mouldy pate, / Supports the trembling chair of state, / And scatters with unsparing hand, / A thousand miseries o'er the land; […]

Derived terms

• mouldily
• mouldiness

Related terms

• mould

Translations

covered with mould

• Bulgarian: плесенясал (bg) (plesenjasal)
• Chinese:

  Hokkien: 臭殕 (zh-min-nan), 生菇 (zh-min-nan), 上殕

  Mandarin: 發霉的 (zh) (fāméi de)

• Czech: plesnivý (cs) m
• Dutch: beschimmeld (nl)
• Esperanto: mucida (eo)
• Finnish: homeinen (fi)
• French: moisi (fr)
• Galician: balorento (gl) m
• Gallurese: muffìtu
• Georgian: ობიანი (obiani), დაობებული (daobebuli), ობმოკიდებული (obmoḳidebuli), ობით დაფარული (obit daparuli)
• German: schimmlig (de), verschimmelt (de)
• Hungarian: penészes (hu)
• Indonesian: apak (id), apek (id)
• Italian: ammuffito (it), mucido (it)
• Japanese: かびた (ja) (kabita)
• Kabuverdianu: boloradu, bloróde
• Korean: 곰팡이가 핀 (gompang'iga pin)
• Latin: mūcidus
• Māori: kāhekaheka, puruhekaheka, pūhekaheka, pōhekaheka, hekaheka, hōpurupuru, hakuhaku
• Old English: fyniġ, fyniht
• Plautdietsch: bepilzt, schemlich
• Polish: spleśniały (pl) m
• Portuguese: embolorado (pt), mofado (pt), bolorento (pt)
• Romanian: muced (ro)
• Russian: заплесневе́лый (ru) (zaplesnevélyj), заплесневе́вший (ru) (zaplesnevévšij)
• Sardinian:

  Campidanese: imbirdigadu

  Logudorese: murighinadu

• Sassarese: muffìtu, mugaratu
• Serbo-Croatian: pljesniv
• Spanish: mohoso (es)
• Swedish: möglig (sv)
• Turkish: küflü (tr)
• Unami: ahkokolët
• Vietnamese: mốc (vi), mốc meo (vi)
• Yiddish: פֿאַרשימלט (farshimlt)

neglected — see neglected

References

• (gray-headed): 1873, John Camden Hotten, The Slang Dictionary

Noun

mouldy (plural mouldies)

1. (UK, naval slang, dated) A torpedo.
   • 2021, Bennet Copplestone, The Silent Watchers: England's Navy during the Great War:

     I knew something of gunnery once, but now I'm on the shelf. I myself would risk the mouldies and fight at close quarters—we have the legs of Fritz and could choose our own range—but in-fighting means tremendous risks, and the dear stupid old public would howl for my head if the corresponding losses followed.