Awkward
/ˈɔːkwəd/noun
Uncomfortable, clumsy, or difficult to handle.
Did you know?The earliest form of awkward was tied to being “backward” or “facing the wrong direction,” and only later did it come to mean socially or physically clumsy.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*wegʷ-
“to turn, bend”
Old English
OE
*æftweard
“backward, turned away”
Middle English
ME
awkeward / awkeward
“backhanded, contrary, left-handed”
15th Century
English
awkward
“clumsy, ungainly, difficult to manage”
Modern English
English
awkward
“uncomfortable, socially difficult, or physically clumsy”
Explore more surprising origins