Overawe

Overawe

Verb · /ˌəʊ.vərˈɔː/

Definition

To impress someone so greatly as to make them feel intimidated or subdued; to fill with awe to such a degree that the person is silenced, inhibited, or rendered incapable of normal response; to overwhelm with a sense of awe.

Origin

From over- (here in the excess sense — beyond normal awe) + awe (from Old Norse agi, terror, dread, from Proto-Germanic *agaz, fear — the same root as the Old English ege, fear). Awe in Old English and early Middle English carried a stronger sense of terror and dread than the modern English sense of reverent wonder — the awe of God being closer to the fear of God. Overawe therefore meaning to awe beyond the ordinary — to produce such an overwhelming impression of power, magnificence, or authority that the subject is silenced or subdued.