Etymology Dictionary

AWE,  fear.  (Scand.)   M.E. aȝè, aghè, awè, properly a dissyllabic word; Ormulum, 7185.   [Another form is M.F. eȝè, eghè, eyè, also dissyllabic, Ormulum, 4481.   We also meet with A.S. óga, fear, dread, and A.S. ege, fear.   Both words occur in the same passage:  'And beó eówer ege and óga ofer ealle nítenu' = and let the fear of you and the dread of you be over all animals, Gen. ix. 2.  Both can be referred to a common base ag, to dread.]—Icel. agi, awe, terror. + Dan. ave, check, control, restraint; ave, to control. + Goth. agis, fear, anguish. + Irish and Gael. eaghal, fear, terror. + Gk. ἄχος, anguish, affliction. + Lat. angor, choking, anguish. + Skt. agha, sin.—✔AGH, to choke.   See Curtius, i. 234; Fick, i. 9.   Der. aw-ful, aw-ful-ly, aw-ful-ness.   From the same root we have anguish, anxious, anger, &c.   ¶ The final e in awe, now quite unnecessary, records the fact that the word was once dissyllabic.