How do you pronounce mildew?

The recorded pronunciation is /ˈmɪl.d(j)u/.

Where does mildew come from?

It is traced to Middle English.

mildew

/ˈmɪl.d(j)u/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.86 in modern English

Syllables: mildew
IPA: /ˈmɪl.d(j)u/

Scrabble Score

Letters

Syllables

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A growth of minute powdery or webby fungi, whitish or of different colors, found on various diseased or decaying substances.

Countable; Uncountable

verb

To taint with mildew.

Transitive verb

verb

To become tainted with mildew.

Intransitive verb

Example Sentences

"Hee giues the Web and the Pin, ſquints the eye, and makes the Hare‐lippe; Mildewes the white Wheate, and hurts the poore Creature of earth."
"His bald purplish head now looked for all the world like a mildewed skull."

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *mélit Proto-Germanic *mili Proto-West Germanic *mili Proto-Indo-European *dʰewh₂-der.? Proto-Germanic *dawwą Proto-West Germanic *dauw Proto-West Germanic *milidauw Old English mildēaw Middle English myldew English mildew From Middle English myldew, from Old English mildēaw, meledēaw, from Proto-West Germanic *milidauw, from *mili (“honey”) + *dauw (“dew”). Compare West Frisian moaldau, Dutch meeldauw, German Mehltau. More at dew.

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Root: myldew, mildēaw, *milidauw

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈmɪl.d(j)u/
British English: /ˈmɪl.djuː/

Usage

Inflected Forms

mildews (plural) mildews (present, singular) mildewing (participle, present) mildewed (participle, past) mildewed (past)

Derived Forms

antimildew mildewcidal mildewcide mildewed mildewer mildewproof mildewy unmildewed

Phrases

downy mildew powdery mildew wheat mildew

Frequently Paired Words

mould mold

Synonyms

mold mould