different between shelve vs unshelve

English

Etymology

Back-formation from shelves.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /??lv/
• Rhymes: -?lv

Verb

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

1. (transitive) To place on a shelf.

2. (transitive) To set aside; to quit or postpone.
3. To furnish with shelves.

4. (slang) To take (drugs) by anal or vaginal insertion.
5. (Wales, slang) To have sex with.
6. (intransitive) To slope; to incline; to form into shelves.

Synonyms

• (set aside): pigeonhole, table
• (have sex with): coitize, go to bed with, sleep with; see also Thesaurus:copulate with

Translations

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.

References

• “shelve”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–present.

Anagrams

• helves

English

Etymology

un- +? shelve

Verb

unshelve (third-person singular simple present unshelves, present participle unshelving, simple past and past participle unshelved)

1. (transitive) To remove from a shelf.
2. (figuratively, transitive) To bring back something that was shelved, or put aside.