Definition of SHELF

shelf

Plural: shelfs, shelves

Noun

  • A flat, rigid surface, often attached to a wall, for holding items.
  • a support that consists of a horizontal surface for holding objects
  • a projecting ridge on a mountain or submerged under water
  • A flat, rigid structure, fixed at right angles to a wall or forming a part of a cabinet, desk, etc., and used to display, store, or support objects.
  • The capacity of such an object
  • A projecting ledge that resembles such an object.
  • The part of a repository where shelvesets are stored.
  • A reef, sandbar, or shoal.

Verb

  • Alternative form of shelve.
  • Alternative form of shelve.

Examples

  • a shelf of videos
  • His Words With Friends strategy was placed on a SHELF when a better opportunity arose.
  • We keep the old newspapers on the bottom shelf of the cupboard, and our photos on the top shelf.

Origin / Etymology

From Middle English schelfe, probably from Old English sċylfe, sċilfe (“shelf, ledge, deck of a ship”), from Proto-West Germanic *skilfijā, from Proto-Germanic *skelfō (“shelf, ledge, cliff”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kelH- (“to cut”), distantly related to sculpt, carve and shell. Cognate with Dutch schelf (“hay loft, haystack”), German Low German Schelf (“haystack”), Old Norse skjalf (“bench”).

Synonyms

ledge, shelfful

Scrabble Score: 11

shelf: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Word
shelf: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
shelf: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 11

shelf: valid Words With Friends Word