mildew

n. 霉；霉病

vt. 使发霉

vi. 发霉；生霉

中文词源

mildew 霉，霉菌

mil-,甜的，词源同molasses,dew,露珠。该词原义为甘汁，蜜露。现词义可能是受meal(粉)影响，即粉状露珠，用以形容发霉，霉菌。

mildew: mildew: [OE] Mildew originally meant ‘honeydew’ (which is a sort of sticky substance exuded by aphids and similar insects on to leaves). It is a compound noun formed in the prehistoric Germanic period from *melith ‘honey’ (a relative of Latin mel ‘honey’, source of English mellifluous and molasses) and *daw-waz, ancestor of English dew. The metaphorical transference from ‘honey-dew’ to a less pleasant, fungal growth on plants, etc took place in the 14th century.
=> dew, mellifluous, molasses
mildew (n.): mid-13c., mildeu "honeydew, nectar," from Old English meledeaw "honeydew" (sticky stuff exuded by aphids), from Proto-Germanic compound of *melith "honey" (see Melissa) + *dawwaz "dew" (see dew). Similar formation in Old Saxon milidou, Dutch meeldauw, German Meltau "mildew."

First element in many cases assimilated to forms of meal (n.2) "ground grain." As a kind of fungus it is first recorded mid-14c., so called from its being sticky and originally growing in plants. As a verb from 1550s. Related: Mildewed.

1. Melissa => mil- "honey" + dew => honeydew, nectar.2. 其含义演变为“霉”，是因为“霉”与“蜜，蜜汁”具有相似特征和特质。3. Greek meli "honey", Latin mel "honey".

1. He was already asleep in the bed, which smelled faintly of mildew.: 他已经在略带霉味的床上睡着了。

2. The grain is liable to mildew when the humidity in the barn is too high.: 仓库里潮气太大,粮食就容易发霉.