Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “awesome” come from?

Awesome derives from English awe and English some, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European tewh₂-, Old English eall, and Proto-Indo-European sem- and al-, with roots in Proto-Indo-European h₂el-.

awesome (English): Causing awe or terror; inspiring wonder or...

Definitions

  1. Causing awe or terror; inspiring wonder or...

Ancestry of “awesome”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1English-someCharacterized by some specific condition or...
2Middle English-som—
3Old Englishsumsome
4Proto-West Germanic*sum—
5Proto-Germanicsumazsome , a certain; some, certain
6Proto-Indo-Europeansem-together, one

Words derived from “awesome”

  • awesomely
  • awesomeness
  • awesomest
  • awesometastic
  • awesome sauce
  • weaksauce
  • -sauce
  • unawesome
  • dopesauce
  • crazysauce
  • lamesauce
Every word from Proto-Indo-European sem- →