4 ms·
"awful" did originally mean "awe-inspiring", but its meaning has drifted away from that quite dramatically over time.
by bshimmin 12y ago
"awful" did originally mean "awe-inspiring", but its meaning has drifted away from that quite dramatically over time.
- micampe 12y agoI looked it up because I found your remark interesting: > awful (adj.) > c.1300, agheful "worthy of respect or fear," from aghe, an earlier form of awe (n.), + -ful. Replaced Old English egefull. Weakened sense "very bad" is from 1809; weakened sense of "exceedingly" is by 1818. Turns out the word that actually changed meaning is “awe”: > awe (n.) > c.1300, earlier aghe, c.1200, from a Scandinavian source, such as Old Norse agi "fright;" from Proto-Germanic ^agiz- (cognates: Old English ege "fear," Old High German agiso "fright, terror," Gothic agis "fear, anguish")[…] http://etymonline.com/index.php?term=awful http://etymonline.com/index.php?term=awful http://etymonline.com/index.php?term=awe http://etymonline.com/index.php?term=awe