Mildew is a thin white or grey living film that grows on things when the air is wet and a little warm. You see it on bathroom walls, on old cloth, on leather shoes left in a cupboard, and on plant leaves. It looks a bit like dust or powder, and it often smells stale.

Mildew is a thin white or grey living film黴是一層薄薄的白色或灰色的活性薄膜，that grows on things在東西表面長出來，when the air is wet and a little warm當空氣潮濕又有點溫暖的時候。on bathroom walls, on old cloth, on leather shoes left in a cupboard, and on plant leaves在浴室牆壁、舊布料、放在櫃子裡的皮鞋，還有植物葉子上You see it你會看到它。It looks a bit like dust or powder它看起來有點像灰塵或粉末，and it often smells stale而且常常有股霉味。

It is a kind of tiny living growth, not ordinary dirt you wipe once and forget. People also use mould (American spelling mold) for similar growth; though actually, gardeners and people cleaning bathrooms do not always mean the same thing by mildew and mould — the tidy dictionary splits them more neatly than people do at home.

It is a kind of tiny living growth它是一種微小的活性生長物，not ordinary dirt you wipe once and forget不是那種擦一下就沒事的普通髒污。People also use mould (American spelling mold) for similar growth人們也會用mould（美式拼法mold）來稱呼類似的生長物；though actually不過其實，gardeners and people cleaning bathrooms do not always mean the same thing by mildew and mould園丁和清潔浴室的人講mildew和mould時，指的不見得是同一件事— the tidy dictionary splits them more neatly than people do at home字典把兩者分得比一般人在家裡分得還要整齊清楚。

There is a verb too: cloth can mildew if you leave it wet. In everyday talk, many families just say something has gone mouldy and never reach for mildew at all.

There is a verb too這個字也有動詞用法：cloth can mildew if you leave it wet布料放著沒弄乾就會發黴（mildew）。In everyday talk在日常對話裡，many families just say something has gone mouldy很多家庭就只會說東西發黴了（gone mouldy），and never reach for mildew at all完全不會用到mildew這個字。