Dictionary

eave en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /iv/ (General-American)
• /iːv/ (Received-Pronunciation)

Etymology

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

Meanings

1. (alt-of, alternative) Alternative form of eaves (“the underside of a roof that extends beyond the external walls of a building”)
   alt of eaves
   • Features such as shutters, eave brackets, transoms, a wraparound porch, and a pergola all help establish the style of this home. 2006 February, Jill Kirchner Simpson, “Building a Modular Home”, in Country Living, volume 29, number 2, page 51:
   • Among other work done, according to the letter: CPR replaced the bottom of a deteriorating stair column base with hollow steel structural sections; conducted exploratory demolition on the underside of an eave that required “removal and reconstruction”; and removed all loose “cracked, spalled, deteriorated, and delaminated concrete” and damaged stucco from the underside of balcony eaves on 114 of the building’s 136 units, the letter said. 2021 July 2, Eliott C. McLaughlin, Alta Spells, Francesca Giuliani-Hoffman, “Firm held off on repairs because of stability issues in months before Surfside building collapse”, in CNN, archived from the original on 22 Nov 2021:

Forms

Deriveds

eaved · eavedrop · eaving · eaveless · eavestrough