I. ˈmȯth-ˌbȯl noun
Date: 1906
1. : a ball made formerly of camphor but now often of naphthalene and paradichlorobenzene and used to keep moths from clothing
2. plural : a condition of protective storage
put the ships in mothball s after the war
also : a state of having been rejected for further use or dismissed from further consideration
put that idea in mothball s
II. transitive verb
Date: 1943
1. : to deactivate (as a ship) and prevent deterioration chiefly by dehumidification
2. : to withdraw from use or service and keep in reserve : put aside