awe
[ aw ]
/ ɔ /
noun
an overwhelming feeling of reverence, admiration, fear, etc., produced by that which is grand, sublime, extremely powerful, or the like: in awe of God; in awe of great political figures.
Archaic. power to inspire fear or reverence.
Obsolete. fear or dread.
verb (used with object), awed, aw·ing.
to inspire with awe.
to influence or restrain by awe.
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The Problem With AwesomeMany words have been wasted on the subject of when adulthood starts. Some hold that it comes about with the right to drink alcoholic beverages or vote in an election. For particularly stringent grammarians of a certain generation, the rite of passage that marks the official start of adulthood is the point at which one becomes annoyed at hearing someone say that something is awesome, …
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Origin of awe
1250–1300; Middle English aghe, awe < Scandinavian; compare Old Norse agi fear, cognate with Gothic agis, Old English ege, Greek áchos pain
Related formsout·awe, verb (used with object), out·awed, out·aw·ing.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for awe
British Dictionary definitions for awe
awe
/ (ɔː) /
noun
overwhelming wonder, admiration, respect, or dread
archaic power to inspire fear or reverence
verb
(tr) to inspire with reverence or dread
Derived Formsaweless or US awless, adjective
Word Origin for awe
C13: from Old Norse agi; related to Gothic agis fear, Greek akhesthai to be grieved
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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