Eyebrow
arch of hair above the eye of a human
An eyebrow is an area of short terminal hairs above each eye that follows the shape of the lower margin of the brow ridges of some mammals. In humans, eyebrows serve two main functions: first, prevention of sweat, water, and other debris from falling down into the eye socket, and second, communication through facial expression. It is relatively common for people to modify their eyebrows by means of hair removal and makeup.
Functions
A number of theories have been proposed to explain the function of the eyebrow in humans. One approach suggests that its main function is to prevent moisture (mostly sweat and rain) from flowing into the eye. Another theory holds that clearly visible eyebrows, paired with eyelashes, formed eyespots to deter predators when early hominid groups started sleeping on the ground.
Recent research, however, suggests eyebrows in humans developed as a means of communication and that this is their primary function. Humans developed a smooth forehead with visible, hairy eyebrows capable of a wide range of movement. Such eyebrows can express a wide range of subtle emotions – including recognition and sympathy.
Cosmetic modification
Fashion in eyebrow shape has changed throughout the ages and eyebrows have always featured heavily in female fashion, often as part of cultural demands made on women about body hair.
“Eyebrow” enters the record as arch of hair above the eye of a human. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Eyebrow, arch and hair can confirm, complicate or overturn.
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Vocabulary and entity names are the principal evidence signals here, because they determine the precision of every later search. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 22, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q43748. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference.
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This entry incorporates text from “Eyebrow” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.