Middle English Dictionary Entry
drēm n.(2)
Entry Info
| Forms | drēm n.(2) Also dream, dremme. |
| Etymology | A blend of OE drēam joy, etc. & ON (cp. OI draumr a dream). Although OE drēam in the sense 'dream' is not attested, this meaning may have existed; cp. OS drōm 'bustle, revelry, jubilation' & 'dream'. ME swēven was earliest and most frequently replaced by drēm in the EM and the N, where Scandinavian influence was strongest. See E. C. Ehrensperger, PMLA 46.80 (1931); A. Rynell, LuSE 13.302 (1948); B. von Lindheim, RES 25.19 (1949). |
Definitions (Senses and Subsenses)
1.
(a) A vision experienced in sleep, a dream; a nightmare; a prophetic dream; (b) dremen ~, meten ~, sen ~, to have a dream; in ~, on ~, in a dream or dreams; sweven and ~, ~ or sweven; (c) coll. dreams, dreaming.
Associated quotations
a
- a1325(c1250) Gen.& Ex.(Corp-C 444)2086 : 'Me wore leuere,' quod Ioseph, 'Of eddi dremes rechen swep: ðu salt after ðe ðridde dei ben do on rode, weila-wei!'
- a1325(c1250) Gen.& Ex.(Corp-C 444)2114 : Ne was non so wis man in al his lond ðe kude vn-don ðis dremes bond.
- a1325(c1250) Gen.& Ex.(Corp-C 444)2124 : Iosep rechede his drem wel rigt: 'ðis two dremes boðen ben on..vij ger..In al fulsum-hed..And vij oðere..Sori and nedful.'
- c1330(?a1300) Guy(2) (Auch)p.614 : When Gij was waked of þat drem, Of an angel he seiȝe a glem.
- (c1375) Chaucer CT.Mk.(Manly-Rickert)B.3346 : Danyel..the dremes of the kyng expowned.
- (c1390) Chaucer CT.Pars.(Manly-Rickert)I.605 : What seye we of hem that bileeuen in dyuynailes, as by flight..of briddes..by nygromancye, by dremes..and swich manere wrecchednesse?
- (a1393) Gower CA (Frf 3)4.2729 : Whanne he is falle in such a drem..He routeth with a slepi noise.
- a1400(c1303) Mannyng HS (Hrl 1701)423,431 : Ȝeue no charge to dremys! Þey been but as glemys Þat yn þe þouȝt lepys A-nyȝt, whan þou slepys..Iosep of dremys had ȝyue no kepe what hym was shewed yn hys slepe.
- a1400(a1325) Cursor (Vsp A.3)4114 : And his dremmes he siþen ded [read: red].
- a1400(a1325) Cursor (Vsp A.3)4605 : Sir king, þis es þi visiun..Bath þi drems ar als an.
- c1400(c1378) PPl.B (LdMisc 581)7.152 : How danyel deuyned þe dremes of a kynge.
- c1400(?c1380) Cleanness (Nero A.10)1578 : Devinores of demorlaykes, þat dremes cowþe rede.
- c1425(a1420) Lydg.TB (Aug A.4)2.2363 : Þer-vppon I had a visioun..as I ley and slepe..And þe maner hol I wil declare Of þis drem.
- c1425(a1420) Lydg.TB (Aug A.4)5.2185 : And many dremes anyȝtes dide hir gaste, Al þe while þat þe sege laste.
- a1450(?c1421) Lydg.ST (Arun 119)1525 : What it myghte cleerly signyfie, This dirke dreme.
- a1425(c1385) Chaucer TC (Benson-Robinson)5.366 : For prestes of the temple tellen this, That dremes ben the revelaciouns Of goddes, and as wel they telle, ywis, That they ben infernals illusiouns; And leches seyn, that of complexiouns Proceden they, or fast, or glotonye.
- a1425 Wycl.Serm.(Bod 788)2.304 : Þe wise man biddiþ þat men shulden not recke of dremes.
- c1430(c1386) Chaucer LGW (Benson-Robinson)1171 : What may it be That me agasteth in my drem?
- c1440 PLAlex.(Thrn)15/16 : When Alexander wakkened of his dreme, he was reghte heuy.
- c1540(?a1400) Destr.Troy (Htrn 388)13804 : He was drecchit in a dreame, & in dred broght.
- ?c1450 St.Cuth.(Eg 3309)680 : He sall þis dreeme þe vndo.
- a1500(a1450) St.Robt.Knares.(Eg 3143)1275 : Saintt Robertt kepe me..Fray sodann ded and dremes!
- 1532(?a1400) RRose (Thynne)8 : Macrobes, That halt nat dremes false ne lees, But undoth us the avysioun That whilom mette kyng Cipioun.
b
- (c1300) Havelok (LdMisc 108)1284 : Of his slep a-non he brayd, And seide..'A selkuth drem dremede me nou.'
- a1325(c1250) Gen.& Ex.(Corp-C 444)1179 : On dreme him cam tiding for-quat He ðrowede [etc.].
- a1325(c1250) Gen.& Ex.(Corp-C 444)1757 : So was he frig[t]ed ear in drem.
- (c1390) Chaucer CT.NP.(Manly-Rickert)B.4077 : This Chauntecleer gan gronen in his throte As man that in his dreem is drecched soore.
- (c1390) Chaucer CT.NP.(Manly-Rickert)B.4361 : I deffye bothe sweuene and dreem.
- (a1393) Gower CA (Frf 3)2.3376 : He awok out of his swevene And..tolde his drem.
- (a1393) Gower CA (Frf 3)4.3575 : Ha lord, what swevene schalt thou mete, What dremes hast thou nou on honde?
- a1400(a1325) Cursor (Vsp A.3)4533 : Aiþer of hus a drem we sau, And he us bad til him it scau.
- a1400(a1325) Cursor (Vsp A.3)4561 : Me thoght in drem, þis ender night, þat i com in a medu slight.
- a1400(?a1350) Siege Troy(1) (Eg 2862)240 : Þat nyȝt..A dreme his moder dremyd þan, Þat out of hur body sprong a brond Þat brent Troye.
- c1425(a1420) Lydg.TB (Aug A.4)3.4912 : She..Hadde in hir slepe a wonder visioun, I not, in soth, what I may it nevene, Ouþer a dreme or verraily a sweuene, Or fro a-boue a reuelacioun.
- a1425(c1395) WBible(2) (Roy 1.C.8)Gen.41.22 : Eft Y was oppressid bi sleep, and Y seiȝ a dreem [WB(1): sweuen; L vidi somnium].
- c1450(c1380) Chaucer HF (Benson-Robinson)9 : For hyt is wonder..Why that is an avisioun And this a revelacioun, Why this a drem, why that a sweven.
- c1450(c1380) Chaucer HF (Benson-Robinson)517 : For now at erste shul ye here So sely an avisyon, That Isaye, ne Scipion..Ne mette such a drem as this!
- c1450(?a1400) Siege Milan (Add 31042)133 : Als kyng Charls in his bedde laye, A Sweun þan gan he mete..When Charls wakenede of his dreme [etc.].
- c1540(?a1400) Destr.Troy (Htrn 388)8429 : Sho was affrayet full foule with a fuerse dreme That she met of hir maister.
- c1460 Ipom.(3) (Lngl 257)328/13 : He wold home to his fadre bycause of a dreme that he mett..for which that he trowed his fadre was deid.
- (a1470) Malory Wks.(Win-C)26/32 : The Kynge..mette a wondir dreme two nyghtes before the batayle.
- ?a1475 Ludus C.(Vsp D.8)162/316 : A bryghtere thynge I saw in drem.
- a1500 GRom.(Add 9066)295 : I sawe a dreme.
- c1600(c1350) Alex.Maced.(Grv 60)765 : Hee wyll þee nye too-nyght in a neew fourme In dreme; as a dragoun dreche hee þee thenkes.
c
- (c1395) Chaucer CT.Sq.(Manly-Rickert)F.359 : Ful were hir hedes of fumositee That causeth dreem, of which ther is no charge.
2.
(a) A vision; (b) ?a prophecy, ?a prophetic dream; (c) ?imagination, fancy.
Associated quotations
a
- c1400(?c1380) Pearl (Nero A.10)790 : Þe Lambez vyuez in blysse we bene..On þe hyl of Syon..Þe apostel hem segh in gostly drem Arayed to þe weddyng.
b
- ?c1475 *Cath.Angl.(Add 15562)39a : A Dreme: Oraculum, sompnium, visum.
c
- (c1380) Chaucer CT.SN.(Manly-Rickert)G.261 : Seistow this to me In soothnesse, or in dreem I herkne this?
- c1390(c1350) NHom.(2) PSanct.(Vrn)99/35 : In muche wraþþe was he [Herod] brouht: he sende to sle, in þat wood drem, Alle þe children In Bethleem.
- a1425(?c1384) Wycl.Church (Bod 788)343 : Þes wordis ben soþli seid..But whanne dremes come aftir, þei maken a fals feyned tale. Þei seien..Crist..made Petir wiþ al þes popis his stewardis to reule his hous..Here þis dreem, takun amys, turneþ up so doun þe Chirche.
3.
In cpds. or combs.: ~ reder, one who interprets dreams, one who foretells the future from dreams; also a soothsayer or diviner; ~ reding, the interpretation of dreams.
Associated quotations
- (a1387) Trev.Higd.(StJ-C H.1)3.139 : Dreem rederes [L conjectoribus] undrede [read: undede] þe sweuene, and seide þat his douȝter schulde haue a childe þat schulde be lorde of Asia.
- (a1387) Trev.Higd.(StJ-C H.1)3.143 : He trowed þat þe menynge of drem rederes [L verbum conjectoris] was fulfilled.
- a1400 Cursor (Frf 14)4111 : Þe dreme reder now se we come..lete [we] him..his dremis rede.
- a1400 12 PTrib.(1) (Roy 17.B.17)51 : Þo botiler of Pharao forgate in his wele Ioseph his dreme-reder.
- a1425(a1382) WBible(1) (Corp-O 4)Gen.40.23 : The prouest of botelers forȝete of his dreem reder [WB(2): his expownere; L interpretis sui].
- (1440) PParv.(Hrl 221)131 : Dreme redare: Solutor.
- a1475 Asneth (Hnt EL 26.A.13)157 : Þat dreme redere & vtterly forsake.
- c1425(?c1400) Wycl.Apol.(Dub 245)95 : Dremridars we calle þoo þat tentun to dremis, os if þey drem bi original and principal cause of God.
- 1485(a1470) Malory Wks.(Caxton:Vinaver)18/36 : 'What will ye do?' said Merlyn..'ye shalle not here prevaille'..'Be we wel avysed to be aferd of a dreme-reder?' said kyng Lot.
- a1500 7 Sages(1) (Cmb Ff.2.38)207/1688 : Wyth dreme redyng..They haue nygh all þe golde of þy londe.
Supplemental Materials (draft)
Note: In sense 1.(b), the quot. c1450(c1380) Chaucer HF 9 does bit belong in this subsense, which is phrases. This is not sweven and ~ or ~ or sweven, though both terms appear in the quot. I think Chaucer intends drem and sweven as contrasts, as the pair avisioun (a false dream, dream sent by the Devil) and revelacioun (a communication from God) above. The gloss in sense 1.(a) (where the aforementioned Chaucer quot. probably belongs) misses this subtlety.
Note: Sense 2.(a) needs to be clarified: does it refer to the vision of someone who is awake (in contrast to sense 1.(a))--if so, this needs to be made explicit. (See avisioun n., sense 2.)--notes per MJW