/ ʃelf; NAmE / noun ( pl. shelves / ʃelvz; NAmE /)
1.
a flat board, made of wood, metal, glass, etc., fixed to the wall or forming part of a cupboard / closet, bookcase , etc., for things to be placed on :
I helped him put up some shelves in his bedroom.
The book I wanted was on the top shelf.
supermarket / library shelves
empty shelves
2.
( geology ) a thing shaped like a shelf, especially a piece of rock sticking out from a cliff or from the edge of a mass of land under the sea :
the continental shelf
—see also shelve
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IDIOMS
- on the shelf
- off the shelf
••
WORD ORIGIN
Middle English : from Middle Low German schelf ; related to Old English scylfe partition , scylf crag .