Etymology Map
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Dream

3 stages from Old English to English.

Today it means images and feelings in the mind during sleep; an ambition

Where does the word "dream" come from? It comes from Old English drēam, passing through Old Norse before entering English (1200s).

1
Stage 1 of 3
drēam
Old English · 700s-1000s
"joy, music"
meant joy, music and revelry; there is no record of it meaning a vision in sleep
2
Stage 2 of 3
draumr
Old Norse · 800s-1000s
"dream"
Viking settlers' 'draumr', a sleep vision, gave the English word its modern meaning
3
Stage 3 of 3
dream
English · 1200s
"vision in sleep"
Old English had called a sleep vision 'swefn'; the Norse sense took over both words' territory
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Read the full story

Dream’s story begins in Old English: drēam meant “joy, music.” Meant joy, music and revelry; there is no record of it meaning a vision in sleep. By 800s-1000s, the word had taken hold in Old Norse as draumr. Viking settlers' 'draumr', a sleep vision, gave the English word its modern meaning. It reached English by 1200s as dream. Old English had called a sleep vision 'swefn'; the Norse sense took over both words' territory. Today, dream means images and feelings in the mind during sleep; an ambition.