schelf

Dutch

Etymology

From Middle Dutch scelve, scelf, from Old Dutch *skelfa, *skelf, from Proto-West Germanic *skelfu, *skelf, from Proto-Germanic *skelfō (“crag, cliff, ledge”). Cognate with German Low German Schelf (“haystack”), West Frisian skelf, English shelf.

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛlf

Noun

schelf f (plural schelven, diminutive schelfje n)

1. storage floor for hay or straw, often above a stable
2. (mathematics) stack