Fromawe +-some; compare earlierawful andMiddle Englisheiful(“inducing fright or terror, terrible”), fromOld Englisheġeful(“fearful;inspiringawe”).
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awesome (comparativemoreawesomeorawesomer,superlativemostawesomeorawesomest)
The oldest meaning ofawesome is of “something which inspires awe”, but the word is now also a commonslang expression. It was originally so used in the United States, where it had featured strikingly in the 1970 filmTora! Tora! Tora!, as used by Japan's AdmiralIsoroku Yamamoto to describe the "awesome" industrial potential of the United States. Consequently, as the word popularly became an expression for anythingsuperb, in its original meaning it has tended to be replaced by the related word,awe-inspiring.
Thecomparative andsuperlative formsawesomer andawesomest are generally regarded asnonstandard.
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awesome (uncountable)
awesome (disambiguation) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia