[moth.ball] n (1906) 1: a ball made formerly of camphor but now often of naphthalene and used to keep moths from clothing
2. pl: a condition of protective storage "put the ships in ~s after the war"; also: a state of having been rejected for further use or dismissed from further consideration "put that idea in ~s"
[2]mothball vt (1943) 1: to deactivate (as a ship) and prevent deterioration chiefly by dehumidification
2: to withdraw from use or service and keep in reserve