A narrow, flat shelf of rock or other material that sticks out from a wall, cliff, or building. It can also mean a narrow shelf inside a room, like on a window.
Probably from Middle English *legge* or *lidge*, related to *ledge* meaning “shelf,” and connected to the verb *lay* (to place). The idea is of something laid out or projecting.
Ledges feel scary because they mark the edge between safety and a drop—even the word is used in emotional phrases like “on the ledge.” It’s a physical feature that turned into a metaphor for risk and crisis.
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