Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun plural The projecting overhang at the lower edge of a roof.
from The Century Dictionary.
- Edge; border; margin.
- Specifically The lower edge of a roof; that part of the roof of a building which projects beyond the wall and sheds the water that falls on the roof; hence, figuratively, any projecting rim.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun plural (Arch.) 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.
- noun plural obsolete Brow; ridge.
- noun plural Eyelids or eyelashes.
- noun plural (Arch.) 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 andeaves lath . - noun plural Same as
Gutter , 1. - noun plural (Arch.) a molding immediately below the eaves, acting as a cornice or part of a cornice.
- noun plural (Zoöl.) The European swallow.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun The
underside of aroof thatextends beyond theexternal walls of abuilding
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun the overhang at the lower edge of a roof
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
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Examples
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The swallow builds about the roofs of houses, under what we call the eaves, and sometimes in the corners of windows.
Ami des enfants. English John Bewick 1769
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I think the reason for the lack of a normal roof with overhanging eaves is because it’s a modular prefab house.
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The shot they keep repeating of the rescue worker hacking into a roof with water up to the eaves was a Metairie home.
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I thought hanging it up to dry under the eaves might be a good idea, for air circulation.
Stripping the Willow. Spinningfishwife 2006
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I thought hanging it up to dry under the eaves might be a good idea, for air circulation.
Archive 2006-09-01 Spinningfishwife 2006
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Down at the eaves was the small arbor, green in summer, but covered now with dead vines and snow.
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The little window under the eaves might be a nursery.
Cinderella At The Ball Wells, Robin 1999
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All the other houses in the street were new, with large window panes and smooth walls, but the old house had queer faces cut out of the beams over the windows, and under the eaves was a dragon's head for a rain-water spout.
Tell Me Another Story The Book of Story Programs Carolyn Sherwin Bailey 1918
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Outside, the gentle drizzle and the soothing tinkle from the eaves were the only sounds; within, there was but the faint rustle of garments from
The Two Vanrevels Booth Tarkington 1907
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Here under the eaves was a ditch the boy had been digging to take off water.
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