dream
A series of images, thoughts, and sensations occurring involuntarily during sleep.
Etymology
From Old English drēam, originally meaning "joy, music, mirth" (not "dream" — that was swefn). The modern meaning developed in Middle English, probably influenced by Old Norse draumr "dream," from Proto-Germanic *draugmaz. The PIE origin is debated — a connection to *dʰrewgʰ- "to deceive" has been proposed, but other scholars link it to *dʰreugʰ- "to harm, deceive" or consider the etymology uncertain.
The Journey: *dʰrewgʰ- → dream
*dʰrewgʰ-
*draugmaz
drēam
dream
Cognates Across Languages
These words in other languages descend from the same PIE root *dʰrewgʰ-. They are not borrowings but independent inheritances from a common ancestor.
| Language | Word |
|---|---|
| Dutch | droom |
| Greek | (none direct) |
| Latin | (none direct) |
| German | Traum |
| Old Norse | draumr |
| Old Saxon | drōm |
| Old High German | troum |
Did You Know?
Old English drēam originally meant "joy, music, merriment" — the sleep-vision meaning came from Old Norse influence. If the proposed PIE root *dʰrewgʰ- "to deceive" is correct, it would suggest that ancient peoples saw dreams as fundamentally deceptive experiences — but this etymology is not settled.
This word descends from the Proto-Indo-European root *dʰrewgʰ-. See the full root page for descendant trees, sound law references, and scholarly discussion.