'awful' originates from Old English and Old Norse roots, specifically from Old English 'ege' (fear, terror) combined with the suffix '-ful' meaning 'full of'.

'awful' developed from Middle English forms such as 'aweful' or 'awefull' (meaning 'inspiring awe') and later shortened/spelled as 'awful' in Modern English; the superlative form was formed by adding the suffix '-est' (yielding forms like 'awfulest' or nonstandard 'awfullest').

Initially it meant 'inspiring awe or reverent fear' (awe-inspiring), but over time it shifted toward the sense 'very bad' or 'terrible', which is the predominant modern meaning.