/ ledʒ; NAmE / noun
1.
a narrow flat piece of rock that sticks out from a cliff :
seabirds nesting on rocky ledges
2.
a narrow flat shelf fixed to a wall, especially one below a window :
She put the vase of flowers on the window ledge.
—see also sill
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WORD ORIGIN
Middle English (denoting a strip of wood or other material fixed across a door, gate, etc.): perhaps from an early form of lay (verb). The current senses date from the mid 16th cent.