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shelf

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shelf

  [shelf]
–noun, plural shelves  [shelvz] .
1. a thin slab of wood, metal, etc., fixed horizontally to a wall or in a frame, for supporting objects.
2. the contents of this: a shelf of books.
3. a surface or projection resembling this; ledge.
4. Physical Geography.
a. a sandbank or submerged extent of rock in the sea or river.
b. the bedrock underlying an alluvial deposit or the like.
c. continental shelf.
5. Archery. the upper part of the bow hand, on which the arrow rests.
—Idioms
6. off the shelf, readily available from merchandise in stock: Any of those parts can be purchased off the shelf.
7. on the shelf, Informal.
a. put aside temporarily; postponed.
b. inactive; useless.
c. without prospects of marriage, as after having broken an engagement.
Use shelf in a Sentence
Origin:
1350–1400; ME; OE scylfe; akin to LG schelf shelf, ON -skjalf bench

Related forms:
shelflike, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2010.
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shelf   (shělf)   
n.   pl. shelves (shělvz)

    1. A flat, usually rectangular structure composed of a rigid material, such as wood, glass, or metal, fixed at right angles to a wall or other vertical surface and used to hold or store objects.

    2. The contents or capacity of such a structure.

    3. Something, such as a projecting ledge of rock or a balcony, that resembles such a structure.

  2. A reef, sandbar, or shoal.

  3. Bedrock.


[Middle English, probably from Middle Low German schelf; see skel-1 in Indo-European roots.]
shelf'ful' n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

shelf 
c.1386, from M.L.G. schelf "shelf, set of shelves," or from O.E. cognate scylfe "shelf, ledge, floor," and scylf "peak, pinnacle," from P.Gmc. *skelf-, *skalf- "split," possibly from the notion of a split piece of wood (cf. O.N. skjölf "bench"), from PIE base *(s)kel- "to cut, cleave" (cf. L. sculpere "to carve"). Shelf life first recorded 1927. Phrase on the shelf "out of the way, inactive" is attested from 1575. Continental shelf first attested 1892.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Science Dictionary
shelf   (shělf)  Pronunciation Key 
See continental shelf.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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Computing Dictionary

shelf
A public library of classes for the Eiffel language.

The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing, © 1993-2007 Denis Howe
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Idioms & Phrases

shelf

see off the shelf; on the shelf.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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