mothballed
UK[ˈmɒθbɔːld]US[ˈmɔːθbɔːld]
adj
stored away and not in use
verb (past tense)
put something into storage or on hold, discontinue its use or development
Morpheme Breakdown
moth
ball
ed
moth
ball
ed
Etymology
the term "mothball" originated in the early 20th century, referring to small balls of camphor or naphthalene placed among stored clothes to repel clothes moths. the compound noun "mothball" logically combines "moth," the target pest, with "ball," the form of the repellent. by the mid-20th century, this concrete noun was verbed ("to mothball"), giving rise to the past participle "mothballed," which metaphorically extends the idea of protective storage from garments to ships, factories, or projects, implying they are kept in a state of suspended animation, safe from the decay of disuse.
Analysis
Structure: moth + ball + ed
moth: (english) the insect, used here in a compound noun.
ball: (english) a spherical object, used here in a compound noun.
ed: (english) a suffix forming the past tense and past participle of regular verbs, or adjectives from nouns/verbs.
Examples
the old factory has been mothballed since the company moved its operations overseas.
several naval vessels were mothballed in the harbor after the war ended.
the development of the new software was mothballed due to budget constraints.