- 1
Musty is mainly a smell: the old, damp smell of a room that has been shut, of clothes left in a , of books that have sat in a cellar. It is close to , but musty is more about the air than about green spots you can see.
Musty musty這個字 is mainly主要是指 a smell一種氣味: the old, damp smell那種老舊、潮濕的氣味 of a room that has been shut像被關起來的房間, of clothes left in a cupboard放在櫃子裡的衣服, of books that have sat in a cellar或放在地窖裡的書. It它 is close to和 mouldy發霉很接近, but不過 musty musty更著重在 is more about the air空氣本身 than about green spots you can see而不是你看得到的綠色霉斑.
People also stretch it: a musty idea or a musty joke feels old and stale, not fresh. That second use is a little more ; for a smell the word is ordinary.
People人們 also stretch it也會延伸使用它: a musty idea or a musty joke一個musty的想法或musty的笑話 feels old and stale, not fresh讓人覺得老掉牙、不新鮮. That second use第二種用法 is a little more bookish比較文謅謅一點; for a smell講到氣味時 the word is ordinary這個字很普通.
Nobody is sure exactly where it came from. It may go back to old words for damp, and perhaps to Latin for , maybe blended with must, the new grape juice used for wine. Treat that history as “maybe”, not as a neat family tree.
Nobody沒有人 is sure exactly能確定 where it came from它確切的來源. It它 may go back也許可以追溯 to old words for damp到古老指「潮濕」的字, and perhaps也許 to Latin for mouldy到拉丁文的「發霉」, maybe blended with也許還混了 must, the new grape juice used for winemust這個字，指釀酒用的新葡萄汁. Treat that history as "maybe"把這段歷史當作「也許」就好, not as a neat family tree不要當成一張整整齊齊的家族樹.
組成From Late Middle English musty; further origin uncertain. It may come from Anglo-Norman muste / moste, variants of moiste (“moist”), perhaps blended from Latin mūcidus (“mouldy”) and Latin mustum (“must, new wine”).
原始詞典資料9 筆記錄
以下是外部詞典記錄的用法，原文照列，我們還沒有寫成教學內容。上面的說明才是我們自己寫的；有些用法可能上面已經講過了。
mustyadj詞源 1/ˈmʌsti/
- 1
Affected by dampness or mould; damp, mildewed, mouldy.
- [W]hẽ his wordes be wel ſifted, men ſhall find little fine flowre in thẽ, but all very muſtie branne, not worthy ſo muche as to fede either horſe or hogges.
- O vve muſt not regard vvhat he ſaies man, a Trout, a ſhallovv foole, he ha's no more braine than a Butterflie, a meer ſtuft ſuit, he looks like a muſtie Bottle, nevv vvickerd, his head's the Corke, light, light.
- 2
Having an odour or taste of mould; also (generally), having a stale or unfresh odour or taste.
- musty food musty furniture a musty odour
- You had muſty vittaile, and he hath holpe to eate it, he is a very valiaunt trencher man, he hath an excellent ſtomacke.
- 3
Characteristic of or relating to mould or mouldiness.
- Not knowing what "swipes" might be, I thought I would run the risk and try it; but it proved a miserable beverage, with a musty, sour flavor, as if it had been a decoction of spoiled pickles.
- 4
Of attitudes, ideas, writing, or other abstract things: no longer fresh or interesting; outdated, stale.
- An antiquarie is an honest man, for he had rather scrape a piece of copper out of the durt, than a crowne out of Plodion's standish. I know manie wise gentlemen of this mustie vocation, […]
- [W]hile the graſſe grovves, the Prouerbe is ſomething muſty.
- 5
Of a person: boring and unadventurous; also, old-fashioned, stuck in the past.
- [T]hey ſettle upon their ovvn dregs, and grovv muddy and muſty vvith long eaſe, and their proſperity befooleth them to their ovvn deſtruction.
- [B]eing married to a bookish man, who has no knowledge of the world, she is forced to take their affairs into her own hands, and to spirit him up now and then, that he may not grow musty, and unfit for conversation.
- 6
Bad-tempered, grumpy, irritable.
- The ill-vvounded Don Quixote vvas exceeding muſty and melancholy, vvith his face bound vp, and ſcarred not by the hand of God, but by the nayles of a Cat (misfortunes annexed to Knight Errantry) ſixe dayes paſt ere hee came abroad: […]
- He is monſtrous vexed, and muſty, at my Cheſſe-play; […]
mustynoun詞源 1/ˈmʌsti/
- 1
obsoleteA type of snuff with a musty flavour (adjective sense 2).
mustyverb詞源 1/ˈmʌsti/
- 1
obsoleteTo turn musty (adjective sense 1 or 2); to must.
- Wi[lding]. But harke thee, harke thee VVill, did'ſt vvinne it? / Ha[zard]. No, but I may looſe it ere I goe to bed. / Doſt think't ſhall muſtie, vvhat's a hundred pound?
mustyadj詞源 2/ˈmʌsti/
- 1
rareOf a male animal such as a camel or an elephant: in musth.
資料來源：英文維基詞典 English Wiktionary（CC BY-SA 4.0）。 原文照列，未經改寫。