Ruin and neglect have so moth-eaten her. --Sir T. Herbert. [1913 Webster]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.
moth-eat — mothˈ eat transitive verb (back formation) to prey upon, as a moth eats a garment • • • Main Entry: ↑moth … Useful english dictionary
moth-eat|en — «MTH EE tuhn, MOTH », adjective. 1. eaten by moths; having holes made by moths. 2. Figurative. looking as if eaten into by moths; worn out; out of date: »the moth eaten battlecries of an old revolutionary. SYNONYM(S): passé … Useful english dictionary
moth-eat·en — … Useful english dictionary
Moth-eaten — Moth eat en, a. having holes due to eating by moths or moth larvae; of cloth or clothing. [PJC] … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
moth — [ mɔθ ] noun count a flying insect like a BUTTERFLY that flies mostly at night. The young form of some types of moth eat cloth: Protect your rug from damage by moths. like a moth to a candle flame used for emphasizing how much someone is… … Usage of the words and phrases in modern English
moth-eaten — moth eat|en [ mɔθ ,itn ] adjective damaged by MOTHS a. old and in bad condition … Usage of the words and phrases in modern English
moth-eaten — moth′ eat en adj. 1) eaten or damaged by or as if by the larvae of moths 2) decayed or worn out 3) out of fashion • Etymology: 1350–1400 … From formal English to slang
moth — /mawth, moth/, n., pl. moths /mawdhz, modhz, mawths, moths/. 1. any of numerous insects of the order Lepidoptera, generally distinguished from the butterflies by having feathery antennae and by having crepuscular or nocturnal habits. 2. See… … Universalium
moth — UK [mɒθ] / US [mɔθ] noun [countable] Word forms moth : singular moth plural moths a flying insect like a butterfly that flies mostly at night. The young form of some types of moth eat cloth Protect your rug from damage by moths. • like a moth to… … English dictionary
MOTH — (Heb. עָשׁ, ash and סָס, sas; AV, JPS – worm ), insect said to eat and destroy clothes (Isa. 51:8; cf. 50:9; Job 13:28). The word ash is also used as a synonym for disintegration and destruction (Hos. 5:12; Ps. 39:12). These names refer to the… … Encyclopedia of Judaism
