ledge

English

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation, General American, Canada) IPA^(key): /lɛd͡ʒ/
• (General Australian) IPA^(key): /led͡ʒ/

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

• Homophone: lege
• Hyphenation: ledge
• Rhymes: -ɛdʒ

Etymology 1

From Middle English legge, from Old English leċġ (“bar, crossbeam”), from Proto-West Germanic *laggju (“layer, strip, ledge, rung, bar”), from Proto-Germanic *lagjō (“layer, stratum”), from Proto-Indo-European *legʰ- (“to lie, recline”). Cognate with West Frisian lêch (“a layer of sheaves on a threshing floor”), Dutch leg (“layer”), German Low German Legg (“wrinkle, fold, flat layer, stratum”), Middle High German legge, lecke (“position, layer, stratum, tier; pleat, hem”). Related to Middle English leggen (“to lay, apply”), from Old English leċġan (“to lay”); and Old English *ġeleċġ (“positioning, arrangement, layout”) as in Old English limġeleċġ (“the disposition of the limbs, form, shape”). More at lay.

Noun

ledge (plural ledges)

1. A narrow surface projecting horizontally from a wall, cliff, or other surface.
   • 2000, “Dig”, in L.D. 50, performed by Mudvayne, Track 2:

     Let me help you tie the rope around your neck / Let me help to talk you the wrong way off the ledge / Let me help you hold the Glock against your head

2. A shelf on which articles may be laid.
3. (geology) A shelf, ridge, or reef, of rocks.
4. A layer or stratum.
5. A lode; a limited mass of rock bearing valuable mineral.
6. (architecture) A (door or window) lintel.
7. (architecture) A cornice.
8. (shipbuilding) A piece of timber to support the deck, placed athwartship between beams.

Derived terms

• foreledge
• Grand Ledge
• ledgeless
• ledgment
• ledgy
• portaledge
• underledge

Translations

a narrow surface projecting horizontally from a wall, cliff, or other surface

• Catalan: vora (ca) f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 边沿 (zh) (biānyán)

• French: rebord (fr)
• Portuguese: borda (pt)
• Spanish: borde (es) m, cornisa (es) f, saliente (es) m or f

shelf

• Bulgarian: полица (bg) f (polica)
• Catalan: relleix m, lleixa (ca) f, prestatge (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 壁架 (zh) (bìjià)

• Finnish: hylly (fi); (protruding part of a façade or structure) otsa (fi), otsikko (fi)
• French: (in joinery) épaulement (fr) m
• Galician: mesado m
• German: (shelf fixed to a wall) Bord (de) n, Regalbrett (de) n; (part of a wall that forms a shelf) Sims (de) n; (protruding part of a façade) Sims (de) n, Mauervorsprung (de) m, Mauerabsatz m
• Hungarian: párkány (hu), polc (hu), szegély (hu), él (hu)
• Italian: mensola (it) f, ripiano (it), scaffale (it) m
• Portuguese: prateleira (pt) f, armário (pt)
• Romanian: poliță (ro) f
• Russian: по́лка (ru) f (pólka)
• Scottish Gaelic: oir f
• Spanish: repisa (es) f
• Turkish:

  Ottoman Turkish: راف (raf)

of rocks

• Bulgarian: риф (bg) m (rif), шелф m (šelf)
• Catalan: cornisa (ca) f, relleix m
• Finnish: kieleke (fi), kallionkieleke, uloke (fi); (reef) karikko (fi), riutta (fi)
• French: corniche (fr) f, vire (fr) f
• German: Sims (de) m, Band (de) n, Felsband n, Felsvorsprung (de) m, Vorsprung (de) m, Kante (de) f, Platte (de) f, Felsplatt f, Stufe (de) f, Überhang (de) m, Rücken (de) m
• Hungarian: szirt (hu), sziklaszirt (hu), sziklapárkány
• Italian: cengia (it) f, stralpo (it) m, balza (it) f
• Russian: вы́ступ (ru) m (výstup), усту́п (ru) m (ustúp), край (ru) m (kraj)
• Spanish: saliente (es) m or f, cornisa (es) f

layer

• Bulgarian: тераса (bg) f (terasa)
• Finnish: kerros (fi), kerrostuma (fi)
• French: couche (fr) f
• German: Lage (de) f, Schicht (de) f
• Italian: strato (it) m
• Portuguese: camada (pt) f
• Russian: шельф (ru) m (šelʹf), слой (ru) m (sloj)

lode

• Bulgarian: жила (bg) f (žila)
• Dutch: ader (nl) m or f, ertslaag m or f
• Finnish: mineraalisuoni, malmisuoni, suoni (fi)
• German: Ader (de) f, Schicht (de) f
• Italian: filone (it) m
• Russian: за́лежь (ru) f (záležʹ), пласт (ru) m (plast)

lintel

• Catalan: dintell m
• Finnish: kamana (fi)
• French: linteau (fr) m
• German: Sturz (de) m

cornice

• Bulgarian: корниз (bg) m (korniz)
• Catalan: imposta (ca) f
• Finnish: reunalista, korniisi (fi), kattolista (fi)
• French: corniche (fr) f
• German: Gesims (de) n
• Romanian: cornișă (ro) f
• Spanish: cornisa (es) f, imposta (es) f

timber

Verb

ledge (third-person singular simple present ledges, present participle ledging, simple past and past participle ledged)

1. (uncommon) To cause to have, or to develop, a ledge (during mining, canal construction, building, etc).
   • 1993, Proceedings, page 87:

     [...] preparation must not remove excess dentine from the canal, and care must be taken not to ledge the canal walls.

   • 2009, Mahmoud Torabinejad, Richard E. Walton, Endodontics: Principles and Practice, Elsevier Health Sciences, →ISBN, page 330:

     Length Longer canals are more prone to ledging than shorter canals. Careful attention to maintaining patency is required to prevent ledging.
     Initial Size Smaller-diameter canals are more easily ledged than larger-diameter canals. In summary ...

Etymology 2

Noun

ledge (plural ledges)

1. (slang) Alternative form of lege (“a legend; a person held in high regard”).
   • [1], [2], [3]

Etymology 3

Shortening of legislature.

Noun

ledge (plural ledges)

1. (Canada, slang) A provincial or territorial legislature building.
   • "Alberta Legislature," Explore Edmonton [4]:

     Known to Edmontonians as "the Ledge", the Alberta Legislature Building is a marvel of marble pillars, carved oak, beautiful Beaux-Arts architecture and stunning grounds.

2. (Canada, slang) A provincial or territorial legislative assembly.

Anagrams

• degel, edgel, glede, gleed, leged

Middle English

Verb

ledge

1. allege
   • c. 1360, Geoffrey Chaucer, Court of Love:

     To reson faste, and ledge auctoritie.