shelf
NounOpen English WordNet
Noun (2)shelves
- a support that consists of a horizontal surface for holding objectsType of supportKinds mantel, bookshelf, overmantel, keyboard shelf, hobPart of bookcase, buffet, cabinet, chest of drawers +3 more
- a projecting ridge on a mountain or submerged under waterSynonyms: ledgeType of ridgeKinds berm
What does it mean? Question 1 of today’s quiz
Webster's Dictionary (1913)
Origin: OE. shelfe, schelfe, AS. scylfe; akin to G. schelfe, Icel. skjālf. In senses 2 & 3, perhaps a different word (cf. Shelve, intransitive verb).
1. Architecture A flat tablet or ledge of any material set horizontally at a distance from the floor, to hold objects of use or ornament.
2. A sand bank in the sea, or a rock, or ledge of rocks, rendering the water shallow, and dangerous to ships.
On the tawny sands and shelves.— John Milton
On the secret shelves with fury cast.— John Dryden
3. Mining A stratum lying in a very even manner; a flat, projecting layer of rock.
4. Nautical A piece of timber running the whole length of a vessel inside the timberheads. Kemp, Dixon
To lay on the shelf, to lay aside as unnecessary or useless; to dismiss; to discard.
Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), from GCIDE 0.54