| Library / English Dictionary |
SHELF
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
Irregular inflected form: shelves
I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
A support that consists of a horizontal surface for holding objects
Classified under:
Nouns denoting man-made objects
Hypernyms ("shelf" is a kind of...):
support (any device that bears the weight of another thing)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "shelf"):
bookshelf (a shelf on which to keep books)
hob (a shelf beside an open fire where something can be kept warm)
chimneypiece; mantel; mantelpiece; mantle; mantlepiece (shelf that projects from wall above fireplace)
overmantel (a shelf over a mantelpiece)
Holonyms ("shelf" is a part of...):
bookcase (a piece of furniture with shelves for storing books)
buffet; counter; sideboard (a piece of furniture that stands at the side of a dining room; has shelves and drawers)
cabinet (a piece of furniture resembling a cupboard with doors and shelves and drawers; for storage or display)
bureau; chest; chest of drawers; dresser (furniture with drawers for keeping clothes)
closet (a small private room for study or prayer)
etagere (a piece of furniture with open shelves for displaying small ornaments)
food market; grocery; grocery store; market (a marketplace where groceries are sold)
Sense 2
Meaning:
A projecting ridge on a mountain or submerged under water
Synonyms:
ledge; shelf
Classified under:
Nouns denoting natural objects (not man-made)
Hypernyms ("shelf" is a kind of...):
ridge (a long narrow natural elevation or striation)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "shelf"):
berm (a narrow ledge or shelf typically at the top or bottom of a slope)
Derivation:
shelfy (full of submerged reefs or sandbanks or shoals)
Context examples:
The obvious place to look was the talc shelf or smoke-guard of the lamp.
(His Last Bow, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
“Wife,” said the man, “go into the garret; on the upper shelf you will see a pair of red shoes; bring them to me.”
(Fairy Tales, by The Brothers Grimm)
This ice shelf has existed for at least 10,000 years, and soon it will be gone.
(Antarctica’s Larsen B Ice Shelf Nearing Its Final Act, NASA)
Dietary emulsifiers are added to many processed foods to improve texture and extend shelf life.
(Food Additives Alter Gut Microbes, Cause Diseases in Mice, NIH)
The period during which a medical product retains its properties and stated performance within specified limits throughout its shelf life if stored under defined conditions.
(Medical Product Shelf Life, NCI Thesaurus)
The researchers point out that melting measured by the study does not imply that the ice shelf is currently unstable.
(Rapid melting of the world’s largest ice shelf linked to solar heat in the ocean, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)
The ability of a product to retain its properties within specified limits throughout its shelf life and to resist conditions that may affect its stated performance.
(Medical Product Stability, NCI Thesaurus)
One of three (Inferior, Middle, Superior) paired bony shelves located within the nasal cavity through which inhaled air is taken into the nasopharynx.
(Nasal Turbinate, NCI Thesaurus)
Still, massive increases in surface melting due to unusually warm weather can trigger catastrophic ice-shelf collapses.
(Reframing the dangers Antarctica's meltwater ponds pose to ice shelves and sea level, National Science Foundation)
He took down a heavy brown volume from his shelves.
(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
