noun pl. shelves
- a thin, flat length of wood or other material fixed horizontally at right angles to a wall and used for holding things
- a similar support, usually one of a set, built into a frame, as in a bookcase or cupboard
- the contents or capacity of a shelf
- something like a shelf; specif.,
- a flat ledge jutting out from a cliff
- a sandbar or sandy reef
- a layer of bedrock, as under deposits of soil or gravel
Origin:
ME, prob. < MLowG schelf, akin to OE scylf, shelf, ledge < IE *skelp < base *(s)kel-, to cut > half