bookshelf

American  

[book-shelf] / ˈbʊkˌʃɛlf /

noun

plural

bookshelves

1. a shelf for holding books, especially one of several shelves in a bookcase.

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Etymology

Origin of bookshelf

First recorded in 1810–20; book + shelf

Compare meaning

How does bookshelf compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• bookshelf vs. bookcase

Example Sentences

She looked around, scanning the rows of bookshelves around them.

From Literature

The walls are lined with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, but there’s only room inside for a single table with computers and the circulation desk.

From Literature

There was a rolling ladder attached to the bookshelf, and Danny wanted to ask if he could slide around on it the way Belle did in Beauty and the Beast.

From Literature

As “Wuthering Heights” continues to fly off of bookshelves, six authors who’ve written on love’s many fluctuations speak on their own relationships with the book and the legacy of Brontë’s text.

From Los Angeles Times

“In fact,” he says, “I’m a lot more proud of these seven new bookshelves that I had to get installed to hold the 2,000 new books that I bought.”

From The Wall Street Journal