noun pl. shelves

1. a thin, flat length of wood or other material fixed horizontally at right angles to a wall and used for holding things
2. a similar support, usually one of a set, built into a frame, as in a bookcase or cupboard
3. the contents or capacity of a shelf
4. something like a shelf; specif.,
   1. a flat ledge jutting out from a cliff
   2. a sandbar or sandy reef
5. a layer of bedrock, as under deposits of soil or gravel

Etymology: ME, prob. < MLowG schelf, akin to OE scylf, shelf, ledge < IE *skelp < base *(s)kel-, to cut > half