An eave is the part of a roof that sticks out past the walls of a building. When you stand next to a house and look up, the eave is that overhang you see jutting out above you.

Eaves serve important purposes. They protect walls and windows from rain by directing water away from the building. They also create shade, keeping rooms cooler in summer. In hot climates, you'll often see houses with wide eaves that cast deep shadows on the walls below. In snowy regions, eaves help shed snow away from doorways and paths.

The word usually appears in its plural form: eaves. When birds build nests under the eaves, they're tucking them into that sheltered space where the roof extends beyond the wall.

Next time you're outside on a rainy day, watch where the water drips from the roof. That edge where the drops fall is the eave, doing its job of keeping water away from the building's foundation.