English word origin

Etymology of awe

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,

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗

verb

To inspire fear and reverence in. · To control by inspiring dread.

noun

A feeling of fear and reverence. · A feeling of amazement. · Power to inspire awe.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Root classification mention*h₂egʰ-ine-pro
Inherited-form mentionawenm
Derivation mentionaginon
Derivation mention*agazgem-pro · terror, dread
Derivation mention*h₂egʰ-ine-pro
Cognate mentioneyeenm
Cognate mentionegeang

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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    {
      "name": "root",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*h₂egʰ-"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "aw"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English aw"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "non",
        "3": "agi"
      },
      "expansion": "Old Norse agi"
    },
    {
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      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
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      },
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    },
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      },
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    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "enm",
        "2": "eye"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English eye"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "ang",
        "2": "ege"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English ege"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "aw",
      "aw#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "awe",
      "awe#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "agh",
      "agh#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "awȝe",
      "awȝe#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "agi",
      "agi#Old_Norse"
    ],
    [
      "*agaz",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/agaz"
    ],
    [
      "*h₂egʰ-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/h₂egʰ-"
    ],
    [
      "eye",
      "eye#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "eyȝe",
      "eyȝe#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "ayȝe",
      "ayȝe#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "eȝȝe",
      "eȝȝe#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "ege",
      "ege#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "æge",
      "æge#Old_English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To inspire fear and reverence in.",
        "To control by inspiring dread."
      ],
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        "transitive"
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Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

noun

A bucket (blade) attached to water wheels.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Borrowed from French auve.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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        "3": "fr:auve",
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      },
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    }
  ],
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    [
      "auve",
      "auve#French"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
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Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for awe →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger

Machine-source provenance

Source SHA-256: 5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run: 73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID: w-YXdl