awe

English

Etymology

From Old English eġe, influenced during Middle English by forms from the Old Norse cognate agi, both from Proto-Germanic *agaz.

Pronunciation

• (UK) enPR: ô, IPA^(key): /ɔː/

• Audio (UK)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɔː
• (US) enPR: ô, IPA^(key): /ɔ/
• (cot–caught merger) enPR: ä, IPA^(key): /ɑ/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Homophones: aw, oar (in non-rhotic accents), or (in non-rhotic accents), ore (in non-rhotic accents), o'er (in non-rhotic accents)

Noun

awe (uncountable)

1. A feeling of fear and reverence.
2. A feeling of amazement.
   • 1918, Edgar Rice Burroughs, The Land That Time Forgot Chapter IV

     For several minutes no one spoke; I think they must each have been as overcome by awe as was I. All about us was a flora and fauna as strange and wonderful to us as might have been those upon a distant planet had we suddenly been miraculously transported through ether to an unknown world.

   • 2012 March-April, Anna Lena Phillips, “Sneaky Silk Moths”, American Scientist, volume 100, number 2, page 172: 

     Last spring, the periodical cicadas emerged across eastern North America. Their vast numbers and short above-ground life spans inspired awe and irritation in humans—and made for good meals for birds and small mammals.

Translations

feeling of fear and reverence

• Bulgarian: страхопочитание (bg) (strahopočitanie), благоговение (bg) (blagogovenie)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 敬畏 (zh) (jìngwèi)

• Danish: frygt (da)
• Finnish: syvä kunnioitus, kunnioittava pelko, pelko (fi)
• French: crainte (fr) f, révérence (fr) f
• German: Ehrfurcht f
• Greek: δέος (el) n (déos)
• Hungarian: áhitat

• Italian: timore (it) m
• Macedonian: стравопочит f (stravopóčit)
• Polish: groza (pl) f, trwoga (pl) f
• Portuguese: temor (pt) m
• Russian: благоговение (ru) n (blagogovénie), трепет (ru) m (trépet)
• Spanish: pavor (es) m
• Swedish: fruktan (sv) c

feeling of amazement

• Danish: ærefrygt
• Finnish: hämmästys (fi)
• French: admiration (fr) f
• Hungarian: bámulat (hu)

• Polish: zachwyt (pl) m
• Portuguese: espanto (pt) m
• Russian: изумление (ru) n (izumlénije)
• Spanish: asombro (es) m

Derived terms

terms derived from awe (noun)

awe-inspiring awesome

awestruck awful

Verb

awe (third-person singular simple present awes, present participle awing, simple past and past participle awed)

1. (transitive) To inspire fear and reverence in.
   • 1922, Michael Arlen, chapter 1/1/3, “Piracy”: A Romantic Chronicle of These Days^[1]:

     That large room had always awed Ivor: even as a child he had never wanted to play in it, for all that it was so limitless, the parquet floor so vast and shiny and unencumbered, the windows so wide and light with the fairy expanse of Kensington Gardens.

2. (transitive) To control by inspiring dread.

Synonyms

• (inspire reverence): enthral, enthrall; overwhelm

Derived terms

• awed
• awesome
• awe-inspiring
• awful

Translations

to inspire fear and reverence

• Bulgarian: внушавам страхопочитание (vnušavam strahopočitanie)
• Finnish: pelottaa, herättää pelkoa, herättää kunnioitusta
• Russian: внушать (vnušatʹ) трепет (trepet) (vnušátʹ trépet), внушать (vnušatʹ) благоговение (blagogovenije) (vnušátʹ blagogovénije)

• Spanish: asombrar, abrumar (es)

to control by inspiring dread

• Finnish: pelotella (fi)

• German: einschüchtern (de)

Anagrams

• eaw, WAE

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Mapudungun

Adverb

awe (using Raguileo Alphabet)

1. quickly, promptly.
2. soon

Synonyms

• arol

References

• Wixaleyiñ: Mapucezugun-wigkazugun pici hemvlcijka (Wixaleyiñ: Small Mapudungun-Spanish dictionary), Beretta, Marta; Cañumil, Dario; Cañumil, Tulio, 2008.

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Western Arrernte

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /awə/

Interjection

awe

1. yes