Ledge
/lɛdʒ/noun
A narrow shelf or projecting ridge of rock, wood, or another surface.
Did you know?Ledge comes from a Germanic root behind the idea of lying or reclining, so the word’s deepest history is about a surface that literally “rests” outward.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*legh-
“to lie down, to lie”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*lagjaz
“that which lies flat; a laid-down thing”
Old English
Old English
lecg
“a layer, bed, or flat surface”
Middle English
Middle English
legge
“a projecting shelf or ridge”
Modern English
English
ledge
“a narrow projecting shelf or ridge”