Eaves
Eaves , noun, plural
[Old English evese, pl. eveses, Anglo-Saxon efese eaves, brim, brink; akin to Old High German obisa, opasa, porch, hall, Middle High German obse eaves, Icelandic ups, Gothic ubizwa porch; compare Icelandic upsar-dropi, OSw. opsa-drup water dropping from the eaves. Probably from the root of English over. The s of eaves is in English regarded as a plural ending, though not so in Saxon. See Over, and compare Eavesdrop.]
1.
(Architecture) The edges or lower borders of the roof of a building, which overhang the walls, and cast off the water that falls on the roof.
2.
Brow; ridge. [Obsolete]
Eaves of the hill.
3.
Eyelids or eyelashes.
And closing eaves of wearied eyes.
Collocations (4)
Eaves board (Architecture) , an arris fillet, or a thick board with a feather edge, nailed across the rafters at the eaves of a building, to raise the lower course of slates a little, or to receive the lowest course of tiles; -- called also eaves catch and eaves lath.
Eaves channel or Eaves gutter or Eaves trough , Same as Gutter, 1.
Eaves molding (Architecture) , a molding immediately below the eaves, acting as a cornice or part of a cornice.
Eaves swallow (Zoology) , (a) The cliff swallow; -- so called from its habit of building retort-shaped nests of mud under the eaves of buildings. See Cliff swallow, under Cliff. (b) The European swallow.