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noun
plural of shelf.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
noun, plural shelves 
[shelvz] .
Idioms [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.
5.
Archery. the upper part of the bow hand, on which the arrow rests.
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.
Origin:
1350–1400; Middle English; Old English scylfe; akin to Low German schelf shelf, Old Norse -skjalf bench
1350–1400; Middle English; Old English scylfe; akin to Low German schelf shelf, Old Norse -skjalf bench
Related forms
shelf·like, adjective
verb (used with object), shelved, shelv·ing.
1.
to place (something) on a shelf or shelves.
2.
to put off or aside from consideration: to shelve the question.
3.
to remove from active use or service; dismiss.
4.
to furnish with shelves.
Related forms
shelv·er, noun
Synonyms
2. defer, table, pigeonhole.
2. defer, table, pigeonhole.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Link To shelves
Collins
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
shelf
late 14c., 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.
EXPANDsculpere "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.
shelve
1591, "to overhang," back formation from shelves, plural of shelf. Meaning "put on a shelf" first recorded 1655; metaphoric sense of "lay aside, dismiss" is from 1812. Meaning "to slope gradually" (1614) is from M.E. shelven "to slope," from shelfe "grassy slope," related to shelf.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
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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Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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