“Awesome!” is an expression that has become widely used in response to things or experiences that are really good and very positive and, in my opinion, has become greatly cheapened by overuse.
Dating back to the late 16th century, ‘awesome’ used to be an expression of something that generated profound reverence or fear.
This was the original sense of the word ‘awe’, which goes back to around the turn of the 13th century. It was the term used in English translations of the Bible to describe the human response to the presence of God or of angels: deep fear and worship at the same time.
The phrase “stand in awe” dates back to the early 15th century. The phrase “awe-inspiring’ was first recorded in 1814.
Sources:
Macquarie Dictionary
Etymonline
Awesome.
#words #language #awesome
WordyNerdBird 