plate rail

American  

noun

1. a rail or narrow shelf fixed along a wall to hold plates, especially for ornament or display.

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plate rail British  

noun

1. Sometimes shortened to: plate.  railways an early flat rail with an extended flange on its outer edge to retain wheels on the track

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Etymology

Origin of plate rail

First recorded in 1815–25

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

plate rail

High plate rail: A deep shelf with decorative wood brackets turns the dead zone along a soffit into an attention-grabber.

From Time ● Mar. 12, 2015

Where the coved portion flowed into the perpendicular of the wall there was a broad moulding, like a plate rail, which acted as a support for the hanging pictures.

From The Blind Spot by Hall, Austin

S-4-S.1 plate rail, 1/2 by 1-1/2 by 58 in.,

From Mission Furniture How to Make It, Part 3 by Windsor, H. H. (Henry Haven)

Use cedar boughs to decorate the chandelier and plate rail.

From Dinners and Luncheons Novel Suggestions for Social Occasions by Pierce, Paul

Comparing them side by side on a plate rail, or hanging on the wall, old Delft is told by its soft, beautiful blue.

From Colonial Homes and Their Furnishings by Northend, Mary H.