The part of a roof that meets or overhangs the walls of a building, protecting the walls from rainwater.
From Old English 'efes,' meaning 'border' or 'edge,' related to 'over' and originally describing any overhanging edge or margin. The word is actually the singular form — one 'eave' — but through linguistic confusion, people began treating 'eaves' as singular, creating the modern usage. This same root gave us 'eavesdrop,' literally meaning to stand in the 'drip-line' of the eaves to secretly listen to conversations inside.
Here's the crazy part: 'eavesdropping' literally meant standing in the drip zone under someone's roof edge to spy on them! Medieval houses had no gutters, so rainwater dripped from the eaves, creating a perfect hiding spot for nosy neighbors. Standing in someone's 'eaves drip' to listen in was apparently common enough to need its own word.
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