eavesdrop means the dripping of rain from the eaves of a house. It carries an Arena rating of 1930, earned across 19 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, eavesdrop ranks #69 of 17,116 for Words That Escaped Their Books, #132 of 17,130 for Best Fossil-Poetry Words, #430 of 17,115 for Most Vivid Words, #693 of 17,113 for Most Elegant Words.
eavesdrop is pronounced /ˈiːvzˌdɹɒp/.
Why “eavesdrop” is a great word
To listen secretly to a private conversation. From Middle English 'eavesdrop' ("the ground where water drips from the eaves of a house"), from 'eaves' (the projecting edge of a roof) + 'drop' (a falling particle of liquid); the figurative sense of listening secretly is first attested c. 1600 from the notion of standing within the eavesdrop to overhear conversations indoors. Unlike "overhear," which implies a chance, passive interception, or "monitor," which suggests a formal and often sanctioned vigilance, to eavesdrop is to commit a deliberate, personal trespass. It is the lean towards a half-open window, the held breath behind a kitchen door, the fixed gaze that pretends to read while straining to catch every syllable—a small, human theft of the unguarded moment, perpetually caught between the drip of water and the drop of a secret.
Etymology
From eaves + drop; the "listening" sense derives from the notion of the listener standing in the area denoted by the physical sense.
noun
- The dripping of rain from the eaves of a house.
- The space around a house on which such water drips.
- A concealed aperture through which an occupant of a building can surreptitiously listen to people talking at an entrance to the building.
- The act of intentionally hearing a conversation not intended to be heard.e.g.“Were you having a little eavesdrop on us last night?”
verb
- To hear (intentionally) a conversation one is not intended to hear; to listen in.e.g.“I hope nobody was eavesdropping on our conversation last night, since it got so personal.”
- To listen for another organism's calls, so as to exploit them.e.g.“[…] Eastern Red Bat will eavesdrop on the sonar calls of other red bats to locate potential insect prey.”
Words closest in meaning
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