shelf: Meaning and Definition of
shelf
Pronunciation: (shelf), [key]
— pl. shelves
- a thin slab of wood, metal, etc., fixed horizontally to a wall or in a frame, for supporting objects.
- the contents of this: a shelf of books.
- a surface or projection resembling this; ledge.
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- a sandbank or submerged extent of rock in the sea or river.
- the bedrock underlying an alluvial deposit or the like.
- Seecontinental shelf.
- the upper part of the bow hand, on which the arrow rests.
- readily available from merchandise in stock: Any of those parts can be purchased off the shelf.
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- put aside temporarily; postponed.
- inactive; useless.
- without prospects of marriage, as after having broken an engagement.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.