Mothball

Alternative forms

• moth ball
• moth-ball

Origin

moth + ball

Noun

1. a small ball of chemical pesticide and deodorant placed in or around clothing and other articles susceptible to damage from mold or moth larvae in order to protect them from this damage; mothballs have either naphthalene or paradichlorobenzene as their active ingredient.

Derived terms

• in mothballs

Full definition of mothball

Verb

1. (transitive) to store or shelve (something that is no longer used)They mothballed the old version after the new one came out.

Synonyms

• shelve

Derived terms

• mothballed