Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “dreamt” come from?

Dreamt derives from Middle English dremen, from Old English drēam meaning "joy" or "music," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European dʰer- meaning "to hold" or "support."

dreamt (English): simple past tense and past participle of dream;...

Definitions

  1. simple past tense and past participle of dream;...

Ancestry of “dreamt”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishdreamImaginary events seen in the mind while sleeping;...
2Middle Englishdremmusic; voice, conversing; joy, mirthfulness
3Old Frisiandrēma—
4Proto-West Germanic*draumijan—
5Proto-Germanicdraumijanąto dream
6Proto-Germanicdraumazdream
7Proto-Germanicdraugmaz—
8Proto-Indo-Europeandʰrowgʰ-mos—
9Proto-Indo-Europeandʰrewgʰ-to deceive, to mislead; to serve one's tribe;...
10Proto-Indo-Europeandʰer-to support; to hold

Words derived from “dreamt”

  • undreamed
  • undreamt
Every word from Proto-Indo-European dʰer- →