1. The evening or day preceding a special day, such as a holiday.
2. The period immediately preceding a certain event: the eve of war.
3. Evening.

[Middle English, variant of even. See even².]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.