shelve

English

Etymology

From (plural of) shelf.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA: /ʃɛlv/, X-SAMPA: /SElv/
• Rhymes: -ɛlv

Verb

shelve (third-person singular simple present shelves, present participle shelving, simple past and past participle shelved)

1. (transitive) to place on a shelf

   The library needs volunteers to help shelve books.

2. (transitive) to store, set aside, quit, or halt

   They shelved the entire project when they heard how much it would cost.

3. To furnish with shelves.

   to shelve a closet or a library

4. (Wales, slang) to have sex with

Synonyms

• (set aside): pigeonhole, table

Translations

to place on a shelf

• Finnish: panna hyllyyn
• Italian: mettere sullo scaffale

• Swahili: daka (sw)

to store, set aside, quit, or halt

• Finnish: hyllyttää (fi)
• French: suspendre (fr)
• Italian: accantonare (it), riporre (it)

• Norwegian: henlegge (no) c pl
• Russian: класть на полку (ru) (klastʹ na polku)
• Swedish: skrinlägga (sv)

Noun

shelve (plural shelves)

1. A rocky ledge or shelf.
   • 1819, Lord Byron, Don Juan, II.181:

     And all was stillness, save the sea-bird's cry, / And dolphin's leap, and little billow crossed / By some low rock or shelve, that made it fret / Against the boundary it scarcely wet.

Anagrams

• helves