1 definition by David Shelvey
Old English word from the 1600's describing the sides or shelves of a sand bank of a submerged or underwater island that causes the hull of a boat to get stuck or puncture holes in the hull of the boat causing it to sink.
Many ships have sunk trying to avoid the shelveys of the Goodwin Sands in Deal when the island is submerged.
by David Shelvey July 25, 2003