Awful

How does the word 'awe' turn around into the 'awful'?

Or is that where it begins - like most things, in terror and revulsion?

AWE

n.

1. A mixed emotion of reverence, respect, dread, and wonder inspired by authority, genius, great beauty, sublimity, or might: We felt awe when contemplating the works of Bach. The observers were in awe of the destructive power of the new weapon.
   
2. Archaic
   
   
   
   1. The power to inspire dread.
      
   2. Dread.

tr.v. awed, aw·ing, awes
To inspire with awe.


[Middle English, from Old Norse agi.]

awe

c.1200, from O.N. agi "fright," from P.Gmc. *agiz- (cf. O.E. ege "fear," O.H.G. agiso "fright, terror," Goth. agis "fear, anguish"), from PIE *agh-es- (cf. Gk. akhos "pain, grief"), from base *agh- "to be depressed, be afraid" (see ail). Current sense of "dread mixed with veneration" is due to biblical use with ref. to the Supreme Being. The verb is first attested 1303. Awestruck is from 1634. Awesome first recorded 1598; colloquial sense of "excellent" is from 1980.

AWEFUL

adjective

1.	extremely bad; unpleasant; ugly: awful paintings; an awful job.

2.	inspiring fear; dreadful; terrible: an awful noise.

3.	solemnly impressive; inspiring awe: the awful majesty of alpine peaks.

4.	full of awe; reverential.

5.	extremely dangerous, risky, injurious, etc.: That was an awful fall she had. He took an awful chance by driving here so fast.

–adverb

6.	Informal. very; extremely: He did an awful good job of painting the barn. It's awful hot in here.

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[Origin: 1200–50; ME a(g)heful, aueful; see awe, -ful; r. OE egefull dreadful]

—Related forms

aw·ful·ness, noun

—Usage note Although some object to any use of awful or awfully in any sense not connected with a feeling of awe, both have been used in other senses for several centuries. Awful and awfully as adverbial intensifiers—awful(ly)hot; awful(ly)cold—appear in the early 19th century, following much the same pattern as horribly anddreadfully. As an adverb awful is less formal in tone than awfully. In the sense “inspiring awe or fear” awesome has largely replaced awful.

[Middle English aweful, awe-inspiring, blend of awe, awe; see awe, and *ayfull, awful (from Old English egefull : ege, dread + -full, -ful).]

awful

c.1300, agheful, from aghe, an earlier form of awe. Replaced O.E. egefull. Slang intensive use of awful "exceedingly" is from 1818.