Awsome

/ˈɔsəm/ adjective

Definition

Misspelling of 'awesome'; inspiring awe or admiration; extremely impressive or excellent (in informal usage).

Etymology

Incorrect spelling of 'awesome,' which comes from 'awe' (Middle English from Old Norse 'agi' meaning 'terror') plus '-some.' The word originally meant 'inspiring reverential fear' but shifted to mean 'excellent' in 1980s slang.

Kelly Says

This common misspelling actually captures something interesting about how 'awesome' has evolved - it's become so casual and frequent that we sometimes forget how to spell it correctly. The word's journey from 'inspiring divine terror' to 'pretty cool' represents one of English's most dramatic semantic shifts.

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