MILDEW

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does mildew mean? 

• MILDEW (noun)
  The noun MILDEW has 2 senses:

1. the process of becoming mildewed

2. a fungus that produces a superficial (usually white) growth on organic matter

  Familiarity information: MILDEW used as a noun is rare.

• MILDEW (verb)
  The verb MILDEW has 1 sense:

1. become moldy; spoil due to humidity

  Familiarity information: MILDEW used as a verb is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• MILDEW (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

The process of becoming mildewed

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural processes

Synonyms:

mildew; mold; mould

Hypernyms ("mildew" is a kind of...):

spoilage; spoiling (the process of becoming spoiled)

Derivation:

mildew (become moldy; spoil due to humidity)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A fungus that produces a superficial (usually white) growth on organic matter

Classified under:

Nouns denoting plants

Hypernyms ("mildew" is a kind of...):

fungus (an organism of the kingdom Fungi lacking chlorophyll and feeding on organic matter; ranging from unicellular or multicellular organisms to spore-bearing syncytia)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "mildew"):

powdery mildew (any of various fungi of the genus Erysiphe producing powdery conidia on the host surface)

downy mildew; false mildew (any of various fungi of the family Peronosporaceae parasitic on e.g. grapes and potatoes and melons)

Derivation:

mildew (become moldy; spoil due to humidity)

• MILDEW (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they mildew    ... he / she / it mildews   
Past simple: mildewed   
Past participle: mildewed   
-ing form: mildewing   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Become moldy; spoil due to humidity

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Synonyms:

mildew; mold

Context example:

The furniture molded in the old house

Hypernyms (to "mildew" is one way to...):

change (undergo a change; become different in essence; losing one's or its original nature)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "mildew"):

smut (become affected with smut)

dry-rot (affect or be affected with dry rot)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Something ----s something

Derivation:

mildew (a fungus that produces a superficial (usually white) growth on organic matter)

mildew (the process of becoming mildewed)

 Context examples 

They also include chemicals to control weeds, rodents, mildew, germs, and more.

(Pesticides, Environmental Protection Agency)

Mushrooms, mold and mildew are examples.

(Fungal Infections, NIH: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases)

Issue associated with the visibility of molds, mildews, yeasts, and/or mushrooms in the immediate environment in which a device is being used.

(Fungus in Medical Device Environment, Food and Drug Administration)

These associations held after adjustment for several other variables, including smoking habits, exposure to cats, dogs, mold, and mildew.

(Cleaner Air Tied to Healthier Lungs in Kids, NIH)

N. dassonvillei is found in the environment including mildewed grain and in is pathogenic in humans, though cases are rare.

(Nocardia dassonvillei, NCI Thesaurus)

There is a strange unwholesome smell upon the room, like mildewed corduroys, sweet apples wanting air, and rotten books.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

There, in the centre of it, was lying that ill-boding pile of time-stained, mildewed cards, just as Boy Jim and I had seen them years before.

(Rodney Stone, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

There are four main kinds of germs: • Bacteria - one-celled germs that multiply quickly and may release chemicals which can make you sick • Viruses - capsules that contain genetic material, and use your own cells to multiply • Fungi - primitive plants, like mushrooms or mildew • Protozoa - one-celled animals that use other living things for food and a place to live

(Infectious Diseases, NIH: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases)

Many rooms opened out of this, and we wandered from one to the other—the kitchens, the still-room, the morning-room, the dining-room, all filled with the same choking smell of dust and of mildew.

(Rodney Stone, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)