Dictionary

shelfie en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• (US) audio
• /ˈʃɛlfi/ (General-American, Received-Pronunciation)

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *(s)kelH- Proto-Indo-European *(s)kel(H)-p-der. Proto-Germanic *skelfōder. Proto-West Germanic *skelfu:der. Proto-West Germanic *skilfijā Old English sċylfe? Middle English schelfe English shelf Proto-Indo-European *swé? Proto-Indo-European *selbʰ-der. Proto-Germanic *selbaz Old English self Middle English self English self Proto-Germanic *-j-, *-ij- Proto-West Germanic *-i, *-ī Old English -iġ Middle English -y English -y English -ie English selfiebf. English -ie English shelfie From shelf + -ie (back-formation of "selfie").

Meanings

1. (qualifier:social media, slang) A photograph of a bookshelf/bookcase taken by its owner and shared on social media.
   • Besides a feline closeup she’s placed on one shelf, and an opera mask on another, her shelfie shows a wonderful collection of books about music, including “The Rough Guide to Opera,” several biographies of Mozart and the history “Women Making Music.” 2013 December 18, Hector Tobar, “Hey everybody, let's 'shelfie!'”, in Los Angeles Times:
   • Some practitioners have tried to position the shelfie as "the intellectual's selfie," making it seem like some digital form of 17th-century Dutch still-life painting. 2014 May 31, “Sharing your shelfie”, in Winnipeg Free Press:
   • From social media “shelfies” to Zoom backgrounds, to hyperinflated coffee-table tomes, books are everywhere nowadays, even—perhaps even especially—in the homes of people who never really read. 2024 February 9, Edwin Heathcote, “‘Bookshelf wealth’ is the oldest decorating trick in the book”, in Financial Times:
   • She's certainly observed the rate at which people are posting shelfies on Instagram. 2014 April 25, Dale Hrabi, “The Rise of the 'Shelfie': Instagram's Next Craze”, in The Wall Street Journal:

Forms

Relateds

Bookstagram