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shelve1

Pronunciation: /ʃɛlv/

Translate shelve | into German | into Italian | into Spanish
Definition of shelve

verb

[with object]
  • 1place or arrange (items, especially books) on a shelf: we had catalogued and shelved all the books shipped in that day
  • 2decide not to proceed with (a project or plan), either temporarily or permanently:plans to reopen the school have been shelved
  • 3fit with shelves:one whole long wall was shelved

Derivatives

shelver

noun

Origin:

late 16th century (in the sense 'project like a shelf' (Shakespearean usage)): from shelves, plural of shelf1

shelve in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of shelve in the US English dictionary

Nearby words

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