eave

English

Etymology

A back-formation from eaves, from a misinterpretation of the -s ending as forming a plural.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /iːv/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /iv/
• Homophones: eve, Eve
• Rhymes: -iːv

Noun

eave (plural eaves)

1. (architecture) Alternative form of eaves (“the underside of a roof that extends beyond the external walls of a building”) [from mid 18th c.]
   • 2006 February, Jill Kirchner Simpson, “Building a Modular Home”, in Country Living, volume 29, number 2, page 51:

     Features such as shutters, eave brackets, transoms, a wraparound porch, and a pergola all help establish the style of this home.

Derived terms

• eaved
• eaving

Yola

Etymology

From Middle English even, from Old English ǣfen, from Proto-West Germanic *ābanþ.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /iːv/

Noun

eave

1. eve

References

• Jacob Poole (d. 1827) (before 1828) William Barnes, editor, A Glossary, With some Pieces of Verse, of the old Dialect of the English Colony in the Baronies of Forth and Bargy, County of Wexford, Ireland, London: J. Russell Smith, published 1867, page 37