<P> The eaves are the edges of the roof which overhang the face of a wall and, normally, project beyond the side of a building . The eaves form an overhang to throw water clear of the walls and may be highly decorated as part of an architectural style; such as the Chinese dougong bracket systems . </P> <P> Eaves is derived from Old English efes meaning edge . According to the Oxford English Dictionary, eaves is both the singular and plural form of the word . However, the Merriam - Webster website lists the word as eave and states that it is "usually used in plural". The word was used before the 12th century in the form efes (Old English). </P>

The overhanging edges of a roof is called