musty

musty
musty1
mustily, adv.mustiness, n.
/mus"tee/, adj., mustier, mustiest.
1. having an odor or flavor suggestive of mold, as old buildings, long-closed rooms, or stale food.
2. obsolete; outdated; antiquated: musty laws.
3. dull; apathetic.
[1520-30; perh. var. of moisty (ME; see MOIST, -Y1) with loss of i before s as in master]
Syn. 1. dank, moldy, stale.
musty2
/mus"tee/, n., pl. musties.
(formerly) a kind of snuff having a musty flavor.
[1700-10; n. use of MUSTY1]

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • Musty — Mus ty, a. [Compar. {Mustier}; superl. {Mustiest}.] [From L. mustum must; or perh. fr. E. moist. Cf. {Must}, n., {Moist}.] 1. Having the rank, pungent, offensive odor and taste which substances of organic origin acquire during warm, moist… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • musty — [adj1] stuffy, aged airless, ancient, antediluvian, antique, crumbling, dank, decayed, decrepit, dirty, dried out*, dry, fetid, filthy, frowzy*, malodorous, mildewed, mildewy, moldy, moth eaten*, noisome, old, putrid, rotten, smelly, spoiled,… …   New thesaurus

  • musty — [mus′tē] adj. mustier, mustiest [< ? earlier moisty < MOIST] 1. having a stale, moldy smell or taste, as an unused room, food kept in a damp place, etc. 2. stale or trite; worn out; antiquated [musty ideas] 3. dull; apathetic mustily adv.… …   English World dictionary

  • musty — index stale Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

  • musty — (adj.) 1520s, perhaps a variant of moisty moist, damp (see MOIST (Cf. moist)). Related: Mustiness …   Etymology dictionary

  • musty — fusty, *malodorous, stinking, fetid, noisome, putrid, rank, rancid Analogous words: *dirty, filthy, foul, nasty, squalid: sloppy, *slipshod, unkempt, slovenly …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • musty — ► ADJECTIVE (mustier, mustiest) 1) having a stale or mouldy smell or taste. 2) unoriginal or outdated. DERIVATIVES mustiness noun. ORIGIN perhaps an alteration of moisty moist …   English terms dictionary

  • musty — [[t]mʌ̱sti[/t]] ADJ GRADED Something that is musty smells old and damp. There are racks of musty clothing and piles of junk. ...that terrible musty smell. Syn: fusty …   English dictionary

  • musty — adjective a musty room, house, or object has a damp and unpleasant smell, because it is old and has not had any fresh air for a long time: musty old books | the stale musty smell of the attic mustiness noun (U) …   Longman dictionary of contemporary English

  • musty — UK [ˈmʌstɪ] / US adjective Word forms musty : adjective musty comparative mustier superlative mustiest smelling unpleasant and not fresh The room had a musty smell. Derived word: mustiness noun uncountable …   English dictionary

  • musty — adjective (mustier; est) Etymology: 4must Date: 1530 1. a. impaired by damp or mildew ; moldy b. tasting of mold c. smelling of damp and decay ; fusty 2 …   New Collegiate Dictionary

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