Forms: 4–6 legge, 6 lege, legg, 7 ledg, 6– ledge. [Possibly a ME. formation from legge, LAY v. The various senses of the sb. admit of being accounted for by this supposition: cf. LAY sb., and MHG. legge, lecke, stratum, layer, edge, border.
The ON. lǫgg fem., rim of a cask (see LAG sb.) is commonly quoted as cognate, but it is doubtful whether it even belongs to the same root, as it may represent an OTeut. type *lawwâ. One example of ONF. lege, app. ‘ledge’ of leather put on a packsaddle, is given by Godef.; the F. word may possibly be the proximate source, in which case the ultimate etym. is prob. Teut.]
1. A transverse bar or strip of wood or other material fixed upon a door, gate, piece of furniture, or the like. Now dial. and techn.
c. 1330. Arth. & Merl., 5673. He toke þe gate bi þe legge & slong hem vp at his rigge.
c. 1440. Promp. Parv., 293/2. Legge, ouer twarte byndynge [MS. S. ouer wart, MS. P. ledge], ligatorium.
1453. Mem. Ripon (Surtees), III. 160. Legges de ligno emptis eidem stabulo, vidz. hostio ejusdem.
1504. Nottingham Rec., III. 322. For vi legges to þe same dore.
1530. Palsgr., 238/1. Ledge of a dore, barre. Ibid. Ledge of a shelfe, apoy, estaye.
1566. Churchw. Acc. St. Dunstan’s, Canterbury, Payed for bordes and palles [i.e., pales] and leges for the gatte xvjd.
1638. MS. Acc. St. John’s Hosp., Canterb., A dayes worke in sawinge of ledges and quarters for the steeple.
1741. Richardson, Pamela (1824), I. 86. I clambered up upon the ledges of the door, and upon the lock which was a great wooden one.
a. 1825. Forby, Voc. E. Anglia, Ledge, a bar of a gate or stile; of a chair, table, &c.
1825, 1881. [see ledge-door in sense 6].
b. Joinery. One of the sides of a rebate, as that against which a door closes. (See quot.)
1842. Gwilt, Archit., Gloss. s.v., Ledges of doors are the narrow surfaces wrought upon jambs and sofites parallel to the wall to stop the door, so that when it is shut the ledges coincide with the surface of the door…. In temporary work the ledges of doors are formed by fillets.
c. Naut. pl. (See quots.)
1676. Coles, Ledges, small Timbers, coming thwart ships (from the wast-trees to the Roof-Trees) to bear up the Nettings.
1769. Falconer, Dict. Marine (1780), Ledges,… small pieces of timber placed athwartships, under the decks of a ship, in the intervals between the beams.
1776. G. Semple, Building in Water, 36. After it is floored, there must be Ledges nailed on to give firm Hold to the Feet of the Men.
c. 1850. Rudim. Navig. (Weale), 129. Ledges, oak or fir scantling used in framing the decks, which are let into the carlings athwartships. The ledges for gratings are similar, but arch or round-up agreeable to the head-ledges.
d. Arch. (See quots.)
1611. Cotgr., Cymace, a ledge, or outward member in Architecture, fashioned somewhat like a Roman S, and tearmed a Waue, or Ogee.
1828. Webster, Ledge … 4. A small molding.
1875. Knight, Dict. Mech., Ledge,… a small moulding, as the Doric drop-ledge.
1889. Century Dict., Ledge, in arch. a string-course.
† 2. A ‘lip’ or raised edging running along the extremity of a board or similar object. Obs.
1535. Coverdale, 1 Kings vii. 28. The seate was made so, that it had sydes betwene the ledges [Luther: Leisten]. Ibid., Ezek. xliii. 13. This is the measure of the aulter … his botome in the myddest was a cubite longe and wyde, and the ledge [Luther: Rand] that wente rounde aboute it, was a spanne brode.
1599. A. M., trans. Gabelhouer’s Bk. Physicke, 163/2. A boarde which hath round aboute ledges.
1802. Mar. Edgeworth, Moral T. (1806), I. 244. I at first set this vase upon the ledge of the tray, and it was nearly falling.
b. Printing.
1683. Moxon, Mech. Exerc., Printing, 195. The Ledges of the Dressing-sticks. Ibid., 218. Placing the first Line close and upright against the lower ledge of the Galley, and the beginning of his Lines close and upright against the left hand Ledge of the Galley.
1727–41. Chambers, Cycl., s.v. Printing, From the right side of this plate arises a ledge about half an inch high … serving to sustain the letters.
1808. Stower, Printer’s Gram., 199. The page being tied up, the compositor removes it pretty far from the ledges of the galley.
3. A narrow horizontal surface, formed by the top of some vertical structure, or by the top of some projection in the vertical face of a wall or the like.
1558. in C. Welch, Tower Bridge (1894), 87. For twoo powles for the water drawenge at the legg on the bridge.
1641. Bp. Hall, Mischief of Faction, Rem. Wks. 77. We are like some fond spectators, that when they see the puppets acting upon the ledge, think they move alone.
1715. Desaguliers, Fires Impr., 130. Make two Ledges in the Chimney,… that the [Register] Plate may go down no further when it shuts close.
1814. Scott, Ld. of Isles, V. xxxi. The warder next his axe’s edge Struck down upon the threshold ledge.
1833. Tennyson, Miller’s Dau., 84. You were leaning from the ledge.
1852–61. Archit. Publ. Soc. Dict., Ledge of a window, or window ledge, a name often given to a rounded window board, when the brickwork under the window is of the same thickness at the sill as the rest of the wall.
1866. M. Pattison, Ess. (1889), I. 45. On every projecting ledge of the heavy wainscot, was displayed … the silver and pewter plate.
1874. Micklethwaite, Mod. Par. Churches, 180. I have known clocks to be let into the ledge of the pulpit.
b. A shelf-like projection on the side of a rock or mountain.
1732. Lediard, Sethos, II. IX. 286. This stone shew’d … a ledge which open’d a way to a sort of cave.
1748. Anson’s Voy., II. viii. 218. In some parts it ran sloping with a rapid but uniform motion, while in others it tumbled over the ledges of rocks with a perpendicular descent.
1850. S. Dobell, Roman, ii. Poet. Wks. (1875), 26. That breezy ledge of genial rock.
1860. Tyndall, Glac., I. xiv. 94. The face of a cliff … afforded us about an inch of ledge to stand upon.
1871. L. Stephen, Playgr. Europe, iii. (1894), 78. We clung to the crannies and ledges of the rock.
1888. F. Hume, Mad. Midas, I. Prol. They were hanging on a narrow ledge of rock midway between earth and sky.
c. Fortif. = BERM.
1729, 1850. [see BERM 1].
1852–61. Archit. Publ. Soc. Dict., Ledge is applied to the ‘bench’ or ‘berm’ left on the face of a cutting.
4. A ridge of rocks, esp. such as are near the shore beneath the surface of the sea; † a range of mountains or hills (obs.); a ridge of earth.
1555. Eden, Decades, 351. There is a ledge of rockes on the southeast parte of the rode.
1626. Capt. Smith, Accid. Yng. Seamen, 18. A shoule, a ledge of rockes.
1652–62. Heylin, Cosmogr., III. (1673), 57/1. We must cross Mount Hermon a ledg of Hills, which … bend directly South.
1658. Evelyn, Fr. Gard. (1675), 13. Break away the ledge of earth.
1699. Dampier, Voy., II. II. 25. To the North of these Islands lyes a long ledge of Rocks bending like a Bow.
1725. De Foe, Voy. round World (1840), 63. A pretty high ledge of hills.
1762. Falconer, Shipwr., II. 835. That buoyant lumber may sustain you o’er The rocky shelves and ledges to the shore. Ibid. (1769), Dict. Marine (1780), Ledge is also a long ridge of rocks, near the surface of the sea.
1867. Smyth, Sailor’s Word-bk., Ledge, a compact line of rocks running parallel to the coast, and which is not unfrequent opposite sandy beaches.
1887. Bowen, Virg. Æneid, I. 108. Three of the ships on invisible ledges the South winds drave.
1891. S. C. Scrivener, Our Fields & Cities, 31. We have a view of the first principal ‘ledge’ of land above the Fen country.
† 5. A course or layer. Obs.
1624. Wotton, Archit., 25. That the lowest Ledge or Row be meerely of Stone, and the broader the better, closely layed without Morter. Ibid., 29. That certain courses or Ledges of more strength then the rest, be interlayed like Bones,… to sustaine the Fabrique from totall ruine, if the vnder parts should decay.
b. Mining. A stratum of metal-bearing rock; also, a quartz-vein.
1847. Emerson, Poems, House, Wks. (Bohn), I. 472. She ransacks mines and ledges, And quarries every rock.
1863. Ansted, Gt. Stone Bk. Nat., II. vi. 97. The half-crystalline quartz that forms reefs or ledges,—the local name for veins and bands of quartz in sandstone rock.
1872. Raymond, Statist. Mines & Mining, 27. The ledges are small, and mostly lie flat, but are very rich.
1883. Stevenson, Silverado Sq., 211. Every miner that ever worked upon it says there’s bound to be a ledge somewhere.
6. attrib., as ledge formation, matter, rock; ledge-door = ledged-door.
1825. J. Nicholson, Operat. Mechanic, 589. A transverse piece, called a ledge nailed across, from which the door derives the name of a *ledge-door.
1881. Young, Every Man his own Mechanic, § 832. 384. We may look on them [doors] speaking generally as divided into ledge doors and framed doors.
1882. Rep. to Ho. Repr. Prec. Met. U.S., 109. An unmistakable *ledge formation carrying quartz the entire distance. Ibid., 262. At the depth it [a mine] has now attained, the *ledge matter is larger and richer than at any previous period of its history.
1894. Outing (U.S.), XXIV. 339/2. Up and down the mountains over *ledge rock that spread out like stair steps.
