Forms: (3 heve, 4 ave), 6–7 eeve, (7 eave, yeave), 3– eve. [var. of EVEN sb. (orig. 2 syll.); for the loss of the final n cf. morrow.]
1. = EVENING sb.1 lit. and fig. poet. or rhetorical.
a. 1250. Owl & Night., 432. Thu singest from eve fort a morȝe.
c. 1300. St. Brandan, 214. The foweles tho hit eve was, bigonne here evesong.
1393. Langl., P. Pl., C. VI. 117. On saterday at eue.
c. 1430. Lydg., Bochas, IX. xxvii. (1554), 209 a. The fayre day men do prayse at eue.
1632. Milton, L’Allegro, 130. Such sights as youthful poets dream On summer eves by haunted stream. Ibid. (1667), P. L., I. 743. From Noon to dewy Eve.
1642. Howell, For. Trav., ix. (Arb.), 47. The yeaue of the Conquering of France, is the morning of the Conquest of England.
1728. Thomson, Spring, 19. Winter oft at Eve resumes the breeze.
1801. Southey, Thalaba, VIII. ii. In the light of the setting eve.
1833. Ht. Martineau, Charmed Sea, i. 4. There must be echoes enough among these rocks to tell the tale from eve to morning, and from morning to eve again.
2. The evening, and hence usually the day before a Saint’s day or other church festival. Hence gen. the evening, or the day, before any date or event.
c. 1290. Lives Saints (1887), 76. In þe monþe of Ieneuer: a-seint Fabianes eue.
c. 1330. Arth. & Merl., 5391. The king ther stode with his meine On a palmesonnes aue.
1480. Caxton, Chron. Eng., ccxxvi. 231. In the same yere (1340) on mydsomer eue kyng edward bygan to sayll toward fraunce.
1548. Hall, Chron. (1550), 98 b. Christmas eue.
1571. Hanmer, Chron. Irel. (1633), 123. 23. of August, being Saint Bartholomewes Eeve.
a. 1662. Duppa, Holy Rules Devot. (1675), 157 (J.). Let the immediate preceding day be kept as the Eve to this great Feast.
1796. H. Hunter, trans. St.-Pierre’s Stud. Nat. (1799), III. 692. The tolling of bells … on the eve of the funeral, on the day of it, and the last day of the year.
1828. Scott, F. M. Perth, iii. A father’s blessing and St. Valentine’s, whose blessed eve this chances to be.
1852. Miss Yonge, Cameos, II. viii. 102. On the eve of the New Year 1370 he [Chandos] set forth to retake the town of St. Salvin.
1884. Blunt, Annot. Bk. Com. Prayer, 118. All Festivals have Eves, including Sundays, but only some have Vigils.
fig. 1647. Clarendon, Contempl. Ps., Tracts (1727), 497. Our Time in this World is but a short Eve to an everlasting Holiday.
3. transf. The time immediately preceding some event, action, etc. Chiefly in phrase To be on or upon the eve of.
1780. T. Jefferson, Corr., Wks. 1859, I. 269. We are upon the eve of a new arrangement as to our commissary’s and quarter-master’s departments.
1793. Smeaton, Edystone L., § 253. Being now arrived at the eve of October.
1806. A. Duncan, Nelson, 165. The hull on the eve of sinking.
1818. Marryat, in Parl. Deb., 642. It was proposed to pass this bill just when they were upon the eve of a general election.
1875. Bryce, Holy Rom. Emp., ix. (ed. 5), 150. These regions seemed on the eve of being lost to Christendom.
4. attrib. and Comb., chiefly in sense 1, as eve-repast, -time; also eve-feast a feast on the evening before a festival or holy day: eve-tide = EVENTIDE; eve-weed (see quot.). Also EVE-CHURR, -JAR, -SONG, -STAR.
1711. Budgell, Spect., No. 161, ¶ 2. A Country Wake, which you know in most Parts of England is the *Eve-Feast of the Dedication of our Churches.
1725. Pope, Odyss., XX. 466. They rise, and bid prepare An *everepast.
1382. Wyclif, Job xxxviii. 32. Thou bringist … the *euetid sterre [1388 euene sterre] vp on the sones of the erthe.
c. 1460. in Hearne, R. Glouc. (1724), II. 484. Quene Alionore … childed a sone … in the Christesmasse eue [printed ene]. In whiche euetid [printed ene-] appered in the West. ii. sterres, of fuẏrẏ colour.
1482. Monk of Evesham (Arb.), 36. Y laye in the chaptur hows tyl the euetyde of saturday foloyng.
c. 1275. Lay., 12858. Þo hit com to þan *eue-time. Ibid., 17860.
1878. Britten & Holland, Dict. Eng. Plant-n., *Eveweed. Hesperis matronalis, L.—A name apparently invented by Dr. J. Hill in Herb. Brit. 1769, in reference to the fragrance of the blossoms in the evening.
