shelf meaning: definition, etymology and quotations

shelf

noun

/ʃɛlf/

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”).

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.

We keep the old newspapers on the bottom shelf of the cupboard, and our photos on the top shelf.
Localities across New Jersey imposed curfews to prevent looting. In Monmouth, Ocean and other counties, people waited for hours for gasoline at the few stations that had electricity. Supermarket shelves were stripped bare.2012 October 31, David M. Halbfinger, New York Times, retrieved 31 Oct 2012:

The capacity of such an object

a shelf of videos

A projecting ledge that resembles such an object.

In 1981, China's Ministry of Geology surveyed the Taiwan Banks area and reported the following features: The Southern Basin (Taiwan Qian Tan) is situated approximately 200 km (124 mi) south-east of Swatao City and about 10 km (6.2 mi) south of the Taiwan Banks on the transition between shelf and slope in water depths of 50 to 200 m (164 to 656 ft).1985, Mark J. Valencia, “Issues: Hydrocarbon Potential and Jurisdictional Disputes”, in South-East Asian Seas: Oil Under Troubled Waters: Hydrocarbon Potential, Jurisdictional Issues, and International Relations, Oxford University Press, →ISBN, →OCLC, page 103:

Computing, Engineering, Mathematics, Natural sciences, Physical sciences, Sciences The part of a repository where shelvesets are stored.

This is where the Visual Studio Shelving function can help. A shelf is a place on the server in source control that is separate from the main code line so it will not affect other developers.2012, Bradley Irby, Reengineering .NET:
A shelveset allows you to store a changeset on the server without adding it to the current codebase and sharing it with team members directly. Each team member has his own “shelf,” where he can store as many shelvesets as he wants.2016, Wouter de Kort, DevOps on the Microsoft Stack, page 114:

Synonyms: shelfful
Derived terms: 54 terms
alongshelf, beamshelf, beehive shelf, bottom-shelf, commercial off-the-shelf, conducting shelf, high shelf, ice-shelf, intrashelf, mantelshelf, mid-shelf, off-the-shelf, off the shelf, on the shelf, rockshelf, shelfback, shelf bra, shelf break, shelfbreak, shelf cloud, shelf filler, shelfful, shelf fungus, shelf ice, shelfie, shelflation, shelfless, shelf life, shelflike, shelflist, shelf list, shelfmark, shelfmate, shelfroom, shelf-screamer, shelf sea, shelf-stable, shelf stacker, shelf stopper, shelf-talker, shelfward, shelfwards, shelfware, shelf-wobbler, shelf-worn, shelfworthy, shelve, shelvy, simian shelf, swing shelf, toolshelf, top-shelf, top shelf, undershelf
Related terms: shelve
Hyponyms: bookshelf, chimney shelf, continental shelf, ice shelf, parcel shelf, sulfur shelf, sulphur shelf

shelf

noun

Etymology Of obscure origin; evidently identical to Middle English shelp (“sandbar in a river”), but the sound shift is unexpected. Shelp might be from Old English scylp (“crag”) or Middle Dutch schelp-.

A reef, sandbar, or shoal.

But with a ſlaw ſuddein chauffing ſtorm-bringer Orion, / Spurnt vs too the waters: then ſootherne ſwaſhruter huffling / Flung vs on high ſhelueflats, to the rocks vs he buffeted after.1582, Virgil, “The Firste Booke of Virgil His Aeneis”, in Richard Stanyhurst, transl., The First Foure Bookes of Virgils Æneis, […], London: […] Henrie Bynneman […], published 1583, →OCLC; republished as The First Four Books of the Æneid of Virgil, […], Edinburgh: [Edinburgh Printing Company], 1836, →OCLC, page 21:
The Marchant that returnes from ſome far forrain lands, / Eſcaping dreadfull rocks and dangerous ſhelfs and ſands, / When as he ſees his ſhip her home-hauen enter ſafe, / Will he repine at God, and as offended chafe / For being brought to ſoone home to his natiue ſoile, / Free from all perills ſad that threaten ſaylor’s ſpoile?1594, Odet de la Noue, translated by Iosuah Silvester, The Profit of Imprisonment. A Paradox, VVritten in French by Odet de la Noue, Lord of Teligni, Being Prisoner in the Castle of Tournay., London: […] Peter Short, for Edward Blunt:

4 more examples

Scopuloſo, full of rocks, ſhelfs, flats, or dangers by ſea.1598, John Florio, “Scopuloso”, in A Worlde of Words, or Most Copious, and Exact Dictionarie in Italian and English, […], London: […] Arnold Hatfield for Edw[ard] Blount, →OCLC, page 357, column 2:
The other part of the Turks which at the same time aſſaulted the citie by water, out of their gallies and ſmall ſhips, had as euill or rather worſe ſucceſſe: many of them were ſunke with great ſhot, and ſome burnt by the fire caſt from the wals, and ſo fired one another; and diuers of them in that ſudden feare, for avoiding of that preſent danger, ran a ground vpon the ſhelfs in the riuer, and ſo ſplit.1603, Richard Knolles, “The Life of Amurath, the Second of That Name, Sixt King of the Turkes, and the Great Establisher of Their Kingdome”, in The Generall Historie of the Turkes, […], London: […] Adam Islip, →OCLC, page 266:
[T]he greateſt of their Galliaſſes fell foule vpon another ſhip, and loſt her Rudder, ſo that guideleſſe ſhe droue vvith the tide vpon a ſhelue in the ſhoare of Callis, vvhere ſhee vvas aſſaulted by the Engliſh.1611, Iohn Speed [i.e., John Speed], “Elizabeth Queene of England, France, and Ireland, […]”, in The History of Great Britaine under the Conquests of yͤ Romans, Saxons, Danes and Normans. […], London: […] William Hall and John Beale, for John Sudbury and George Humble, […], →OCLC, book IX ([Englands Monarchs] […]), paragraph 210, page 861:
And all was stillness, save the sea-bird's cry, / And dolphin's leap, and little billow crost / By some low rock or shelve, that made it fret / Against the boundary it scarcely wet.1819 July 15, [Lord Byron], Don Juan, London: […] Thomas Davison, […], →OCLC, canto II, stanza CLXXXI, page 209:

Derived terms: shelfward, shelfwards, shelfy

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.