Shelve
/ʃɛlv/noun
To place on a shelf or set aside for later consideration.
Did you know?The verb originally meant to furnish with shelves, and its later sense of “put away for later” grew from the image of something being physically abandoned on a shelf.
Etymological Timeline
Old English
OE
scylfe / scylf
“a shelf, ledge, or projecting support”
Middle English
ME
shelfe
“a shelf or ledge”
15th Century
English
shelven
“to furnish with shelves; to place on a shelf”
17th Century
English
shelve
“to put away or set aside, especially for later use or consideration”
Modern English
English
shelve
“to place on a shelf; to postpone or abandon plans”