rêver

Meaning

to dream

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ʁɛ.ve/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle French resver, from Old French resver (“to consider, reflect, be delirious”), of uncertain origin. The Trésor de la langue française informatisé links it back either to an unattested *esver (“to wander”) or to Latin *reexvadō, from re- + ex- + evadō. The Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch links it back to *reexvagus, hence the same as the first proposal by the Trésor de la langue française informatisé. Compare Old English rǣswan (“to consider, suspect, conjecture”), of similar form and meaning.