ledge

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

• noun A horizontal projection forming a narrow shelf on a wall.
• noun A cut or projection forming a shelf on a cliff or rock wall.
• noun An underwater ridge or rock shelf.
• noun A level of rock-bearing ore; a vein.

from The Century Dictionary.

• To allege.
• noun A shelf on which articles may be placed; anything which resembles such a shelf; a flat rim or projection; as, the ledge of a window; a ledge of earth on the inner side of a parapet.
• noun Specifically— In arch.: A small horizontal molding of rectangular profile. A string-course.
• noun In joinery, a piece against which something rests, as the side of a rebate against which a door or shutter is stopped, or a projecting fillet serving the same purpose as the stop of a door, or the fillet which confines a window-frame in its place.
• noun In ship-building, a. piece of the deck-frame of a ship, lying between the deck-beams.
• noun A rail of a chair.
• noun In printing, one of the pieces of furniture; a wedge, used in locking up a form of type.
• noun A shelf-like ridge or elevation; any natural formation somewhat resembling a shelf: as, a ledge at the top of a precipice; a ledge of rock under water.
• noun A bar for fastening a gate.
• To lay (eggs).
• To lay hands on.
• To lay eggs.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

• noun A shelf on which articles may be laid; also, that which resembles such a shelf in form or use, as a projecting ridge or part, or a molding or edge in joinery.
• noun A shelf, ridge, or reef, of rocks.
• noun A layer or stratum.
• noun (Mining) A lode; a limited mass of rock bearing valuable mineral.
• noun (Shipbuilding) A piece of timber to support the deck, placed athwartship between beams.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

• noun A shelf on which articles may be laid; also, that which resembles such a shelf in form or use, as a projecting ridge or part, or a molding or edge in joinery.
• noun geology A shelf, ridge, or reef, of rocks.
• noun A layer or stratum.
• noun A lode; a limited mass of rock bearing valuable mineral.
• noun architecture A (door or window) lintel .
• noun architecture A cornice.
• noun A piece of timber to support the deck, placed athwartship between beams.
• noun See lege.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

• noun a projecting ridge on a mountain or submerged under water