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shelves |
1 definition found From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: Shelf \Shelf\, n.; pl {Shelves}. [OE. shelfe, schelfe AS scylfe; akin to G. schelfe Icel. skj[=a]lf. In senses 2 & 3, perhaps a different word (cf. {Shelve}, v. i.).] 1. (Arch.) A flat tablet or ledge of any material set horizontally at a distance from the floor, to hold objects of use or ornament. 2. A sand bank in the sea, or a rock, or ledge of rocks, rendering the water shallow, and dangerous to ships. On the tawny sands and shelves. --Milton. On the secret shelves with fury cast. --Dryden. 3. (Mining) A stratum lying in a very even manner; a flat, projecting layer of rock. 4. (Naut.) A piece of timber running the whole length of a vessel inside the timberheads. --D. Kemp. {To lay on the shelf}, to lay aside as unnecessary or useless; to dismiss; to discard.
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