Forms: α. 1–2 eʓe, æʓe, 2 aȝeie, ȝeie, (heie), 2–3 æie, 2–4 eie, 3 eiȝe, eȝe, eȝȝe, æiȝe, (eaye, heye, heiȝe), 3–4 eye, 4 eighe, eyghe, ayghe, ay, aye. β. 3 aȝe, aȝhe, 3–4 au, auu, 4 auȝe, awȝe, agh, awee, (hage, owe), 5 aghe, 4–8 aw, 4– awe. [The actual awe, in 13th c. aȝe, was a. ON. agi, acc. aga (Da. ave), representing an OTeut. *agon- wk. masc. (of which the OE. repr. would have been aga); but this was preceded in EE. by native forms descending from OE. ęʓe, str. masc.,:—OTeut. *agiz str. neut., Goth. agis fear, taken as if it were a str. masc. agi-z. (Both f. ag-an to fear.) The ME. eye, (aye,) and awe, were thus in origin and derivation distinct though cognate words, but were practically treated as dialectal variants of the same word, of which aye was still used in s. w. c. 1400, while awe was in the n. e. c. 1250. The sense-development is common to both. They are therefore here taken together; the examples being separated into groups α (from OE. ęʓe) and β. (from ON. agi).]
I. As a subjective emotion.
† 1. Immediate and active fear; terror, dread. Obs.
α. c. 855. O. E. Chron., an. 457. Þa Brettas … mid micle eʓe fluʓon. Ibid. (1006), (Laud MS.). Þa wearð hit swa mycel æʓe fram þam here.
c. 1205. Lay., 18924. Mid æie vnimete [1250 Mid heye onimete].
1297. R. Glouc., 507. More uor eye than vor loue.
c. 1330. R. Brunne, Chron., 220. Of non þe had ay.
c. 1330. Arth. & Merl., 465. Gret ayghe and dout. Ibid., 6429. For sorwe and drede and eighe, Thai flowen euerich his weighe.
β. a. 1300. Cursor M., 8793. ‘Durst we for auu, Vr thoght gladli we wald þe scau.’
c. 1340. Richard Rolle of Hampole, Prick of Conscience, 1870. Ne for luf ne awe er nane sparde.
1375. Barbour, Bruce, XI. 555. Cum on, forouten dreid or aw.
1589–1657. [see 4 b].
1784. Cowper, Task, II. 722. His voice Shook the delinquent with such fits of awe.
2. From its use in reference to the Divine Being this passes gradually into: Dread mingled with veneration, reverential or respectful fear; the attitude of a mind subdued to profound reverence in the presence of supreme authority, moral greatness or sublimity, or mysterious sacredness.
α. c. 950. Lindisf. Gosp., Matt. xxviii. 8. Mið eʓe & mið micle glædnise.
c. 1175. Lamb. Hom., 75. Habben heie of him ouer alle þing.
1297. R. Glouc., 469. The child lovede him … Ne he nadde of no man: more love ne eye.
β. a. 1300. E. E. Psalter lxxxix. 30. If sones of him for-lete mi lagh, And in mi domes noghte haves gane with agh.
1380. Wyclif, Deadly Sins, Sel. Wks. 1871, III. 167. Wiþ awȝe þenke, mon, hou þou hafs of God bothe powere and appetit.
1413–1535. [see 4 a].
1671. Milton, P. R., I. 22. To his great Baptism flocked With aw the Regions round.
1742. Collins, Epist., 7. With conscious awe she hears the critick’s fame.
1827. Keble, Chr. Year, Matrim. There is an awe in mortals’ joy, A deep mysterious fear.
3. The feeling of solemn and reverential wonder, tinged with latent fear, inspired by what is terribly sublime and majestic in nature, e.g., thunder, a storm at sea.
β. 1756. Burke, Subl. & B., IV. § 7 (1808), 266. Astonishment, the subordinate degrees … are awe, reverence, and respect.
1833. Ht. Martineau, Cinnamon & Pearls, iii. 43. She pointed with awe to a mighty object.
1851. Ruskin, Mod. Paint., II. III. I. xiv. § 26. It is possible to conceive of terribleness, without being in a position obnoxious to the danger of it, and so without fear; and the feeling arising from this contemplation of dreadfulness, ourselves being in safety, as of a stormy sea from the shore, is properly called awe.
4. phr. a. To stand in awe of: to be greatly afraid of, to dread; later, to entertain a profound reverence for.
(This phrase has a remarkable grammatical development; its original type was ‘Awe stood to men’ (i.e., there was fear on men’s part), or, with the object of fear expressed, ‘Awe of me stood to men,’ and ‘Awe of (rarely to, with) me stood men (dat.)’; this, ‘men’ being erron. taken as a nom. case, was inverted into ‘Men stood awe of me,’ and finally, to restore the logical sense destroyed by this misconception, ‘in’ was inserted, giving ‘Men stood in awe of me.’)
α. c. 1000. Ags. Ps. lxxvi. 12. Eorð-cynincʓum se eʓe standeð.
c. 1175. Lamb. Hom., 161. Mare eie stondeð men of monne þanne hom do of criste.
c. 1205. Lay., 11694. Him ne stod æie to naþing [1250 him ne stod eye of no þing].
c. 1330. R. Brunne, Chron., 8. He stode of him non eye.
c. 1380. Sir Ferumb., 408. Of C[harlis] þat ys ȝour Emperer; of whame men stondeð aye … þe soþe þou me saye.
β. c. 1250. Gen. & Ex., 432. Caym … wurð ut-laȝe, wið dead him stood hinke and aȝe.
a. 1300. Cursor M., 482. Fra ful hei he fell fullaw Þat of his lauerd wald stand nan aw.
c. 1320. Seuyn Sag. (W.). Therof ne stod him non owe.
1413. Lydg., Pylgr. Sowle, V. xiv. 81. Of theyre lord and god to stande in awen.
c. 1460. Towneley Myst., 305. I stand great aghe to loke on that Justyce.
1535. Coverdale, Ps. cxix. 161. My herte stondeth in awe of thy wordes.
a. 1600. Scot. Poems 16th C. (1801), II. 170. Wee stand aw Of Gods hie magnificence.
1653. Holcroft, Procopius. The King … stands in aw of a Generall directing him.
1784. (29 Feb.) Cowper, Lett., Wks. 1876, 161. We stand in awe of we know not what.
b. To hold or keep in awe (of): to restrain or control by fear (of).
α. [c. 1000. Ags. Ps. xciv. 10. Se þe eʓe healdeþ eallum þeodum.]
β. a. 1300. Cursor M., 5518. Halds þam for-þi in au [v.r. agh, awee, awe].
1589. R. Harvey, Pl. Perc. (1860), 14. Yt were good to keepe such a Cur in awe.
1602. Shaks., Ham., V. i. 238. Oh, that that earth, which kept the world in awe, Should patch a Wall.
1657. J. Smith, Myst. Rhet., 144. Nations kept in aw of his name.
II. As an objective fact.
5. Power to inspire fear or reverence; overawing influence. arch.
(Arising from the originally objective genitive, ‘his awe’ (= awe of him), taken as possessive.)
α. c. 1000. Ælfric, Gen. ix. 2. Beo eower eʓe … ofer ealle nitenu.
c. 1205. Lay., 17965. Þu scalt habben þis lond, & þin æie beon muchel & strong.
β. c. 1400. Ywaine & Gaw., 2411. I sal deliver hir of his aw.
1601. Shaks., Jul. C., II. i. 52. Shall Rome stand vnder one mans awe?
1679. Dryden, Troil. & Cr., Ep. Ded. You see, my Lord, what an Awe you have upon me.
1815. Scott, Ld. of Isles, II. xxv. Yet nought relax’d his brow of awe.
† 6. Behavior that inspires fear; anger, fierceness, rage. Obs.
α. c. 1205. Lay., 1897. Al was heora gristbatinge, al swa wilde bares eȝe. Ibid., 9702. Hehten heom mucle eiȝe ut of his æh seone.
c. 1330. R. Brunne, Chron., 37. Wrothfulle wordes.
† 7. Something that inspires fear; a cause of dread; a restraint. Obs. [ON. agi has also sense of ‘constraint.’]
α. c. 825. Vesp. Psalter, xci. 5. Ne ondredes ðu ðe from eʓe næhtlicum.
c. 1205. Lay., 2087. For swulchen eiȝe gode heo hefden muchele drede.
β. a. 1300. Cursor M., 1773. Þat sorwe to se was greet awe.
c. 1330. R. Brunne, Chron., 333. Jhesu þorgh his myght, blissed mot he be, Reised him vp right, & passed þat hage.
1657. in Burton, Diary (1828), II. 56. The Parliament may remove such persons This will be an awe over them.
III. Comb. a. objective with pr. pple., as awe-awakening, -inspiring; b. instrumental with pa. pple., as awe-filled, AWE-BOUND, -STRUCK.
1757. Gray, Bard, 117. Her awe-commanding face.
1819. Shelley, Cenci, I. ii. 84. Her awe-inspiring gaze.
1849. Rock, Ch. of Fathers, I. ii. 90. The awe-awakening sound of some early Father’s voice.
1860. Pusey, Min. Proph., 397. Reverential, awe-filled faith.
