Obs. Forms: 1 oefsung, efesung, 5 evesung, 4–6 evyss-, evys-, evesyng, -ing, 6 eusing, eavesinge. See also EASING sb.2 [repr. OE. efesung, vbl. sb. f. efes-ian, EVESE v.; in sense 2 directly f. EAVES.]
† 1. The action of trimming the edges of anything; clipping, polling, shearing. Also concr. What is cut off: the clippings of hair. Obs.
a. 800. Corpus Gloss., 474. Circinatio, oefsung.
c. 1050. Ags. Gloss., in Wr.-Wülcker, 364. Circinnatio, efesung.
a. 1225. Ancr. R., 398. Absalomes schene white, þet ase oft ase me euesede him me solde his euesunge vor two hundred sicles.
2. The eaves of a house or stack; formerly also used for ‘roof,’ and hence transf. for ‘dwelling.’
a. 1225. Ancr. R., 142. Þe niht fuel iðen euesunge bitocneð recluses, þet wunieð … under chirche euesunge.
1393. Langl., P. Pl., C. XX. 193. As we may seo a wynter, Isykles in euesynges · thorgh hete of þe sonne Melteþ in a mynt-while · to myst and to water.
c. 1440. Promp. Parv., 144. Evese, or evesynge of a howse.
1547. Salesbury, Welsh Dict., Bargawt tuy, house eusing.
1572. Schole house Wom., 912, in Hazl., E. P. P., IV. 140. King Salomon … A woman dooth assimilate Unto a dropping euesing guise, Distilling down after rain late.
1572. Bossewell, Armorie, II. 88 b. A righte little parte of water … is called Gutta, when it standeth, or hangeth on eauesinges.
