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Musty

 - 4 dictionary results

mus⋅ty

1[muhs-tee]
–adjective, -ti⋅er, -ti⋅est.
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 obsolete; outdated; antiquated: musty laws.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.

Origin:
1520–30; perh. var. of moisty (ME; see moist, -y 1 ) with loss of i before s as in master


mus⋅ti⋅ly, adverb
mus⋅ti⋅ness, noun


1. dank, moldy, stale.

mus⋅ty

2[muhs-tee]
–noun, plural -ties.
(formerly) a kind of snuff having a musty flavor.

Origin:
1700–10; n. use of musty 1
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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must·y   (mŭs'tē)   
adj.   must·i·er, must·i·est
  1. Stale or moldy in odor or taste.

    1. Hackneyed or trite; dull.

    2. Out of date; antiquated.

    3. Out of use or practice; rusty.


[Alteration of obsolete moisty, from moist.]
must'i·ly adv., must'i·ness n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

musty 
1530, perhaps a variant of moisty "moist, damp" (see moist).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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