shelf

shelf
shelflike, adj.
/shelf/, n., pl. 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 Geog.
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.
[1350-1400; ME; OE scylfe; akin to LG schelf shelf, ON -skjalf bench]

* * *

(as used in expressions)

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую
Synonyms:

Look at other dictionaries:

  • shelf — W3S3 [ʃelf] n plural shelves [ʃelvz] [Date: 1300 1400; : Middle Low German; Origin: schelf] 1.) a long flat narrow board attached to a wall or in a frame or cupboard, used for putting things on top/bottom/next etc shelf ▪ Put it back on the top… …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • shelf — [ ʃelf ] (plural shelves [ ʃelvz ] ) noun count ** 1. ) a flat piece of wood, plastic, or glass that is attached to the wall or is part of a piece of furniture, used for putting things on: He took a book from the shelf. top/bottom shelf: The… …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • shelf — [shelf] n. pl. shelves [ME, prob. < MLowG schelf, akin to OE scylf, shelf, ledge < IE * skelp < base * (s)kel , to cut > HALF] 1. a thin, flat length of wood or other material fixed horizontally at right angles to a wall and used for… …   English World dictionary

  • shelf — (n.) 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 ),… …   Etymology dictionary

  • shelf — ► NOUN (pl. shelves) 1) a flat length of wood or other rigid material attached to a wall or forming part of a piece of furniture, providing a surface for storage or display. 2) a ledge of rock or protruding strip of land. ● off the shelf Cf. ↑off …   English terms dictionary

  • Shelf — Shelf, n.; pl. {Shelves}. [OE. shelfe, schelfe, AS. scylfe; akin to G. schelfe, Icel. skj[=a]lf. In senses 2 & 3, perhaps a different word (cf. {Shelve}, v. i.).] 1. (Arch.) A flat tablet or ledge of any material set horizontally at a distance… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • shelf — has the plural form shelves, and the corresponding verb is shelve. The compound form shelf ful should be written with a hyphen for clarity, and its plural is shelf fuls …   Modern English usage

  • shelf — shelf; shelf·ful; …   English syllables

  • Shelf — (spr. schelf), Stadt im Westbezirk von Yorkshire (England), 5 km nordöstlich von Halifax, mit Kammgarn und Damastweberei, chemischen Fabriken und (1901) 2500 Einw. In der Umgegend Kohlen und Eisengruben und Steinbrüche …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

  • shelf — [n] jutting, flat area or piece bank, bracket, console, counter, cupboard, ledge, mantelpiece, mantle, rack, reef, ridge, rock, shallow, shoal; concepts 445,509,513 …   New thesaurus

  • Shelf — A shelf is a detail of furniture for storing items.It may also refer to:* Shelf (computing), a user interface feature in the NeXTSTEP operating system * Shelf, West Yorkshire, a village in England * Continental shelf, the extended perimeter of a… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”