shelf

[shelf]

noun

plural

shelves 

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.

   1. a sandbank or submerged extent of rock in the sea or river.

   2. the bedrock underlying an alluvial deposit or the like.

   3. continental shelf.

5. Archery.,  the upper part of the bow hand, on which the arrow rests.

shelf

/ ʃɛlf /

noun

1. a thin flat plank of wood, metal, etc, fixed horizontally against a wall, etc, for the purpose of supporting objects

2. something resembling this in shape or function

3. the objects placed on a shelf, regarded collectively

   a shelf of books

4. a projecting layer of ice, rock, etc, on land or in the sea See also continental shelf

5. mining a layer of bedrock hit when sinking a shaft

6. archery the part of the hand on which an arrow rests when the bow is grasped

7. See off the shelf

8. put aside or abandoned: used esp of unmarried women considered to be past the age of marriage

verb

1. slang,  (tr) to inform upon

shelf

1. See continental shelf

Other Word Forms

• shelflike adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of shelf¹

1350–1400; Middle English; Old English scylfe; akin to Low German schelf shelf, Old Norse -skjalf bench

Word History and Origins

Origin of shelf¹

Old English scylfe ship's deck; related to Middle Low German schelf shelf, Old English scylf crag

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. off the shelf, readily available from merchandise in stock.

   Any of those parts can be purchased off the shelf.

2. on the shelf,

   1. put aside temporarily; postponed.

   2. inactive; useless.

   3. without prospects of marriage, as after having broken an engagement.

see off the shelf; on the shelf.

Example Sentences

The FDA is well-positioned to ensure safety, not to decide which drugs work well enough to deserve a place on the shelf.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The dining area has built-in wall shelves, modern overhead lighting, and room for a large table.

Read more on MarketWatch

But the company has been expanding its capacity and is ready to fill the shelves.

Read more on Barron's

A TV advert by Red Tractor, the UK's biggest certifier of farm products on supermarket shelves, has been banned for exaggerating the scheme's environmental benefits and misleading the public.

Read more on BBC

“I believe we must carefully consider the consequences that may result from a dramatic shift of products on our shelves.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• counter 
• cupboard 
• ledge 
• rack