dream
/driːm/
noun
Origin
Proto-Germanic
*draumaz — joy, music, noise
Overview
Meaning Now
- A series of thoughts, images, and sensations occurring in a person's mind during sleep.
- A cherished aspiration, ambition, or ideal.
Literal older meaning
joy, mirth, or noise/music
Language path
Proto-Germanic → Old English → Middle English → English
Earliest form
drēam
Earliest period
Old English
Journey
In Old English, 'dream' primarily denoted joy, melody, or collective noise. The modern meaning of a 'vision during sleep' only began to predominate in the Middle English period, likely reinforced by contact with Old Norse 'draumr'.
Evolution
- Proto-Germanic
*draumaz
“joy, music, noise”
- Old English
drēam
“joy, mirth, music, noise”
Did not mean a sleeping vision in Old English.
- Middle English
drem
“vision during sleep”
Influenced by Old Norse 'draumr', which carried the 'sleep vision' sense.
Connections
Word parts
dream
root
a series of images during sleep
Related across languages
Old Norse
draumr
dream, sleep vision
German
Traum
dream
Dutch
droom
dream
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Related to dream
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.