Definition of "musty"

[W]hẽ his wordes be wel ſifted, men ſhall find little fine flowre in thẽ, but all very muſtie branne, not worthy ſo muche as to fede either horſe or hogges.

1532, Thomas More, “The Confutacion of [William] Tyndale’s Aunswere […]”, in Wyllyam Rastell [i.e., William Rastell], editor, The Workes of Sir Thomas More Knyght, […], London: […] Iohn Cawod, Iohn Waly, and Richarde Tottell, published April 1557, page 649, column 2

O, vve muſt not regard vvhat hee ſaies man, a trout, a ſhallovv foole, he ha's no more braine then a butter-flie, a meere ſtuft ſuit, he looks like a muſtie bottle, nevv vvickerd, his head's the corke, light, light.

1599 (first performance; published 1600), Benjamin Jonson [i.e., Ben Jonson], “Euery Man out of His Humour. A Comicall Satyre. […]”, in The Workes of Ben Jonson (First Folio), London: […] Will[iam] Stansby, published 1616, Act I, scene ii, page 94

[W]aſt thou faine poore father, / To houill thee vvith ſvvine and rogues forlorne, / In ſhort and muſtie ſtravv, alack, alack, / Tis vvonder that thy life and vvits at once / Had not concluded all, […]

c. 1603–1606 (date written), [William Shakespeare], […] His True Chronicle Historie of the Life and Death of King Lear and His Three Daughters. […] (First Quarto), London: […] Nathaniel Butter, […], published 1608, [Act IV, scene vii]

[H]ave your vvorms vvell ſcovvred and not kept in ſovvre or muſtie moſs; […]

1653, Iz[aak] Wa[lton], chapter XI, in The Compleat Angler or The Contemplative Man’s Recreation. Being a Discourse of Fish and Fishing, […], London: […] T. Maxey for Rich[ard] Marriot, […]; reprinted as The Compleat Angler (Homo Ludens; 6), Nieuwkoop, South Holland, Netherlands: Miland Publishers, 1969,

[C]ome prithee let's be gone out of this ungrateful Air of his old Houſe; a pox on't, I can ſmell the muſty Bed-mats, and Kitchen-dreſſers, above half a Mile before I come to't.

, Tho[mas] d’Urfey, The Old Mode & the New, or, Country Miss with Her Furbeloe. A Comedy. […], London: […] Bernard Lintott, and sold by Samuel Clark, […], Francis Faucet […], and Lucas Stowkey […], Act I, scene i, page 11

[I]n ſcarce and dear Times the Huſbandman hath little to ſell to advance his Stock, and the Buyers are uſually furniſhed vvith muſty bad Corn from Foreign Parts (vvho often buy our Corn vvhen cheap, and ſell it to us again vvhen dear) or from ſuch as vvere ignorant of the vvays of preſerving it.

1707, J[ohn] Mortimer, “Of Preserving of Corn”, in The Whole Art of Husbandry; or, The Way of Managing and Improving of Land. […], 2nd edition, London: […] J[ohn] H[umphreys] for H[enry] Mortlock […], and J[onathan] Robinson […], published 1708, book V, page 110

Undaunted vvas my heart, nor could appal / The muſtieſt volume of the ſtall; / VVhere'er I turn'd, the giant ſpiders fled, / And trembling moths retreated as I read; […]

a. 1773 (date written), James Græme, “The Student: A Fragment”, in Poems on Several Occasions, Edinburgh: […] A[lexander] Donaldson; for W. Somerville, […], published 1773, page 43

And pray, novv, tell me, hovv can it be vvorth one's beſt days, one's gayeſt hours, the very flovver of one's life—all to be ſacrificed to plodding over muſty grammars and lexicons, merely to cut a figure juſt for about tvvo minuts once or tvvice in a year?

1796, [Frances Burney], “Modern Ideas of Life”, in Camilla: Or, A Picture of Youth. […], volume II, London: […] T[homas] Payne, […]; and T[homas] Cadell Jun. and W[illiam] Davies (successors to Mr. [Thomas] Cadell) […], book III, page 207

At theſe laſt vvords, forth cravvl'd an ancient Dame, / Sharp-nos'd, half ſtarv'd, and Avarice her name; / […] / Sav'd of the muſtieſt bread the crumbs, and ſees / A dinner in the ſcrapings of a cheeſe: […]

1796, Peter Pindar [pseudonym; John Wolcot], “The Lousiad Canto V”, in The Works of Peter Pindar, Esqr. […], London: […] John Walker, […], page 10

Bradley assenting, went with him into an early public-house, haunted by unsavoury smells of musty hay and stale straw, […]

1864 May – 1865 November, Charles Dickens, “In the Dark”, in Our Mutual Friend. […], volume II, London: Chapman and Hall, […], published 1865, book the third (A Long Lane), page 103

It was a thin book bound in faded morocco, with a copper-plate engraving as a frontispiece; the pages were musty with age and stained with mould.

1915, W[illiam] Somerset Maugham, chapter CXVI, in Of Human Bondage, New York, N.Y.: George H[enry] Doran Company, page 616

Reize already has a strong and spirited jump, bounding higher than most every other fighter. That's what happens when you're not weighed down with all that musty, old armor!

2019 November 13, “Reize – Showdown Character Highlight”, in Yacht Club Games‎, archived from the original on 5 December 2020

You had muſty vittaile, and he hath holpe to eate it, he is a very valiaunt trencher man, he hath an excellent ſtomacke.

1598–1599 (first performance), William Shakespeare, Much Adoe about Nothing. […], quarto edition, London: […] V[alentine] S[immes] for Andrew Wise, and William Aspley, published 1600, [Act I, scene i]

Being entertain'd for a perfumer, as I was ſmoaking a muſty roome, comes me the prince and Claudio, hand in hand in ſad conference: […]

1598–1599 (first performance), William Shakespeare, Much Adoe about Nothing. […], quarto edition, London: […] V[alentine] S[immes] for Andrew Wise, and William Aspley, published 1600, [Act I, scene iii]

Well, I haue almost mard their market, for Gentlemen especially, those that loue to smell sweete, for they are the worst Milliners in a kingdome, and their sutes beare the mustiest perfume of anything breathing, vnlesse it were an Usurers Night-cappe againe: […]

1604, “The Meeting of Gallants at an Ordinarie: Or, The Walkes in Powles”, in J[ames] O[rchard] H[alliwell], editor, Early English Poetry, Ballads, and Popular Literature of the Middle Ages: Edited from Original Manuscripts and Scarce Publications, volume V, London: […] [F]or the Percy Society by T. Richards, published 1841, page 11

'Sbuds! this Veniſon is muſty.

1731 (date written), Simon Wagstaff [pseudonym; Jonathan Swift], “Dialogue II”, in A Complete Collection of Genteel and Ingenious Conversation, […], London: […] B[enjamin] Motte […], published 1738, page 141

He knovvs to live, vvho keeps the middle ſtate, / And neither leans on this ſide, or on that: / Nor ſtops, for one bad Cork, his Butler's pay, / Svvears, like Albutius, a good Cook avvay; / Nor lets, like Nævius, ev'ry error paſs, / The muſty vvine, foul cloth, or greaſy glaſs.

1734, [Alexander] Pope, The Second Satire of the Second Book of Horace Paraphrased, London: […] L[awton] G[illiver] […], page 9, lines 61–66

I was terribly afraid, from what I had heard of Blackwater Park, of fatiguing antique chairs, and dismal stained glass, and musty, frowzy hangings, and all the barbarous lumber which people born without a sense of comfort accumulate about them, in defiance of all consideration due to the convenience of their friends.

1859 November 26 – 1860 August 25, [William] Wilkie Collins, “The Narrative of Marian Halcombe, Taken from Her Diary”, in The Woman in White. […], New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers, Publishers, […], published 1860, part I, page 84, column 2

So, after a spell, he decided to make the best of it and shoved us into the front parlor. […] It looked like a tomb and smelt pretty nigh as musty and dead-and-gone.

1913, Joseph C[rosby] Lincoln, chapter XII, in Mr. Pratt’s Patients, New York, N.Y., London: D[aniel] Appleton and Company, page 291

It was a close, musty, ill-ventilated place, since its inmate seldom left it.

1927 January 22, Arthur Conan Doyle, “The Adventure of the Veiled Lodger”, in The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes, London: John Murray, […], published June 1927 (May 1952 printing), page 268

Not knowing what "swipes" might be, I thought I would run the risk and try it; but it proved a miserable beverage, with a musty, sour flavor, as if it had been a decoction of spoiled pickles.

1849, Herman Melville, “He Goes to Supper at the Sign of the Baltimore Clipper”, in Redburn: His First Voyage. […], 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers, […], page 172

Wi[lding]. But harke thee, harke thee VVill, did'ſt vvinne it? / Ha[zard]. No, but I may looſe it ere I goe to bed. / Doſt think't ſhall muſtie, vvhat's a hundred pound?

1633 November 21 (date licensed; Gregorian calendar), Iames Shirly [i.e., James Shirley], The Gamester. […], London: […] Iohn Norton, for Andrew Crooke, and William Cooke, published 1637, Act II, signature [C4], recto