Shelf
Shelf , noun
[Old English shelfe, schelfe, Anglo-Saxon scylfe; akin to German schelfe, Icelandic skjālf. In senses 2 & 3, perhaps a different word (compare Shelve, v. i.).]
1.
(Architecture) 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.
On the secret shelves with fury cast.
3.
(Mining) A stratum lying in a very even manner; a flat, projecting layer of rock.
4.
(Nautical) A piece of timber running the whole length of a vessel inside the timberheads. — D. Kemp
Collocations (1)
To lay on the shelf , to lay aside as unnecessary or useless; to dismiss; to discard.