awe

B2 Topic:Emotions & Feelings

US /ɔ/ UK /ɔː/ See IPA manual

Freq #11406

Meanings

1

noun
A feeling of great respect mixed with wonder or slight fear.

I stared over the edge of the building with a feeling of awe.
2

verb
To fill someone with awe.

The famous professor awed the students with her knowledge.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a feeling of great respect... veneration

2 verb · to fill someone with awe. overwhelm

Word family

Forms awedaweingawesawing

Derived forms awe-inspiringawedawefulawelessawesome awestrickenawestrikeawestruck awfulinaweoveraweunderawe

Etymology

From Middle English aw, awe, agh, awȝe, borrowed from Old Norse agi, from Proto-Germanic *agaz (“terror, dread”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂egʰ- (“to be upset, afraid”). Displaced native Middle English eye, eyȝe, ayȝe, eȝȝe, from Old English ege, æge (“fear, terror, dread”), from the same Proto-Germanic root.

*h₂egʰ- Proto-Indo-European aw Middle English agi Old Norse *agaz Proto-Germanic

View etymology graph ->

External links

# awe

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B2
**Part of speech:** noun, verb
**IPA (US):** /ɔ/
**IPA (UK):** /ɔː/
**Frequency rank:** 11406

## Meanings
1. A feeling of great respect mixed with wonder or slight fear.
2. To fill someone with awe.

## Examples
- I stared over the edge of the building with a feeling of awe.
- The famous professor awed the students with her knowledge.

## Derived Forms
- awe-inspiring
- awed
- aweful
- aweless
- awesome
- awestricken
- awestrike
- awestruck
- awful
- inawe
- overawe
- underawe

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *h₂egʰ-
- Root: aw
- Root: agi
- Root: *agaz

## Etymology
From Middle English aw, awe, agh, awȝe, borrowed from Old Norse agi, from Proto-Germanic *agaz (“terror, dread”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂egʰ- (“to be upset, afraid”). Displaced native Middle English eye, eyȝe, ayȝe, eȝȝe, from Old English ege, æge (“fear, terror, dread”), from the same Proto-Germanic root.

## AI Etymology
Awe comes from Middle English aw, awe, agh, awȝe, borrowed from Old Norse agi, from Proto-Germanic *agaz (“terror, dread”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂egʰ- (“to be upset, afraid”). Displaced native Middle English eye, eyȝe, ayȝe, eȝȝe, from Old English ege, æge (“fear, terror, dread”), from the same Proto-Germanic root.

## Topics
- Emotions & Feelings

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awe

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