I. awe 1 /ɔː $ ɒː/ BrE AmE noun [uncountable]
[ Date: 1200-1300 ; Language: Old Norse ; Origin: agi ]
1 . a feeling of great respect and liking for someone or something:
He felt great awe for the landscape.
with/in awe
Kate gazed at the statue with awe.
2 . be/stand in awe of somebody ( also hold somebody in awe ) to admire someone and have great respect for them and sometimes a slight fear of them:
All of the neighbours were a little in awe of my mother.
The villagers hold them in awe and think of them as gods.
II. awe 2 BrE AmE verb [transitive usually passive]
formal if you are awed by someone or something, you feel great respect and liking for them, and are often slightly afraid of them:
The girls were awed by the splendour of the cathedral.
—awed adjective :
an awed silence