Dream Once Meant Joy, Not Sleep
A dream is a sequence of images during sleep. The Old English word meant joy and music, and the sleeping sense may be a separate borrowing.
A dream is a series of images and sensations during sleep, or a cherished hope. Old English *dream* meant joy, mirth and music — not sleep at all. The sleeping sense may have come in from Old Norse, or the two may have merged; either way, an Anglo-Saxon poet writing about *dream* in a hall meant the noise of celebration. The two past tenses *dreamed* and *dreamt* are both correct, with *dreamt* more common in British English.
- Images during sleep. *A strange dream.*
- An ambition. *Her lifelong dream.*
- To dream. *I dreamt about it.*
- Dreamy — pleasantly vague. *A dreamy tune.*
- Old English — *dream*, joy and music. *The older sense.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | dream | A vivid dream. |
| Plural | dreams | Bad dreams. |
| Verb | dream | I dream often. |
| Past (UK) | dreamt | I dreamt. |
| Past (US) | dreamed | I dreamed. |
- I had a strange dream last night.Sleep.
- It was a dream come true.Ambition.
- In Old English dream meant joy.History.
Words that changed meaning entirely
- Dream — joy and music, now sleep imagery
- Silly — once blessed, then innocent, then foolish
- Nice — once ignorant, from Latin *nescius*
- Awful — once full of awe, now simply bad
- Girl — once any young person of either sex
Old English *dream*, joy or music. The sleep sense appears in Middle English, possibly reinforced by Old Norse *draumr*.
Is it dreamed or dreamt?
Both are correct. Dreamt is more common in British English, dreamed in American.
Did dream really mean joy?
In Old English, yes. The word for sleeping visions was swefn, and dream took over that job later.