mothball

moth•ball n. [countable]

a small, strong-smelling ball of naphthalene for placing in storage areas to repel moths.
Idioms in mothballs, in a state of storage;
no longer used:The fleet was in mothballs.

v. [~ + object]

to put into storage;
make (something) no longer active:agreed to mothball their most dangerous missiles.

moth•ball n.

a small ball of naphthalene or sometimes of camphor for placing in closets or other storage areas to repel moths from clothing, blankets, etc.
in mothballs:
- Idiomsin disuse or in storage, esp. with reference to standby equipment.
- Idioms(of ideas) dismissed as unworthy of further deliberation.

v.t.

adj.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

mothball /ˈmɒθˌbɔːl/ n

Also called: camphor ball a small ball of camphor or naphthalene used to repel clothes moths in stored clothing, blankets, etc
put in mothballs ⇒ to postpone work on (a project, activity, etc)

vb (transitive)

to prepare (a ship, aircraft, etc) for a long period of storage by sealing all openings with plastic to prevent corrosion
to take (a factory, plant, etc) out of operation but maintain it so that it can be used in the future
to postpone work on (a project, activity, etc)

'mothball' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):

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