EAVESDROP


Meaning of EAVESDROP in English

■ verb ( ~s , ~ping , ~ped ) secretly listen to a conversation.

Derivatives

~per noun

Origin

C17: back-form. from ~per (ME), from the obs. noun ~ 'the ground on to which water drips from the eaves', prob. from ON upsardropi .

Concise Oxford English vocab.      Сжатый оксфордский словарь английского языка.