1. The fringe of hair along the upper orbit of the eye, more or less arched in appearance.
1585. J. Higgins, trans. Junius’ Nomenclator, 27. Supercilium.… The ridge of haire aboue the eye lids, or the eye browes.
1600. Shaks., A. Y. L., II. vii. 149. The Louer, with a wofull ballad Made to his Mistresse eye-brow.
1691. Ray, Creation, II. (1692), 32. Above stand the Eye-Brows, to keep any thing from running down upon the eyes.
1741. Monro, Anat. Nerves (ed. 3), 79. An arched Ridge is extended, on which the Eye-brows are placed.
1813. Scott, Triermain, III. xxvi. Shade thine eyebrows with thine hand.
1860. Froude, Hist. Eng., VI. 276. He had the arched eyebrow … of the beautiful Plantagenet face.
b. pl. Artificial imitations of the same, app. made of mouse-skin.
1703. Steele, Tend. Husb., III. i. Pr’y thee, wench, bring me my black eyebrows out of the next room.
1718. Prior, Another Reas. Affliction, Poems 270. That the Slattern had left, in the Hurry and Hast, Her Lady’s Complexion and Eye-brows at Calais. Ibid., On the same, Poems 271. If We don’t catch a Mouse To-night, Alas! no Eye-brows for To-morrow.
2. Anat. (see quot. 1840).
1806. Med. Jrnl., XV. 208. The organ of finding and recollecting places manifested itself strongly in the corners of his eye-brows.
1840. G. V. Ellis, Anat., 74. The eyebrows … are two curved prominences formed by the orbicularis and occipito-frontalis muscles.
3. Arch. a. A molding over a window. b. (See quot. 1842).
1703. T. N., City & C. Purchaser, 5. Annulet … in Architecture … a … Tince, Eye-brow.
1832. Sarah Austin, trans. Tour Germ. Prince, IV. iv. 162. Hatfield is built of brick; only the eyebrows of the windows, the corners, &c. are of stone.
1842. Gwilt, Archit., Gloss. 971. Eyebrow, a name sometimes given to the fillet.
4. attrib. and Comb.
1718. Prior, Another Reas. Affliction, Poems 270. Her Eyebrow-Box one Morning lost.
1760. Goldsm., Cit. W. (1840), 9. Your nose-borers … eyebrow-pluckers, would all want bread.
1854. Hooker, Himal. Jrnls., I. iii. 66. Prominence of eyebrow region.
Hence Eyebrowed a., furnished with eyebrows; transf. (of a hill), having a growth of trees resembling an eyebrow. Eyebrowless a., without eyebrows.
1833. J. Hodgson, in J. Raine, Mem. (1858), II. 314. Steep scars, fringed and eye-browed with wild natural wood.
1859. Jephson, Brittany, i. 2. Flock of white-eyebrowed goats.
1868. Dickens, Uncomm. Trav., xxv. Those four male personages … complexionless and eyebrowless.
1884. Miss. Herald, Sept., 375. They never yet had heard of such a thing as an eyebrowless child.
