Old English dreams (swefn, swefn ian, m ætan, gemætan)

[David Kiltz]

Thank you for your enlightening remarks. Yes, indeed _(ge)mætan_ is  
distinct from OE _metan_. My bad.  The latter is clearly a derivative  
of _*(ga-)môt-_ 'to find room', or directly the cognate of MoE  
_moot_.  _*(ga-)môt- seems to ultimately derive from PIE _*med-_ 'to  
measure (for), care, look after'. Maybe, _mætan_ belongs in the same  
group. There is a lengthened grade derivative Greek _mêdeô_ 'ponder,  
think out, decide'. Or it's derived from _*meh1-_ with a dental  
suffix, which would also explain the long vowel. Maybe, a dream was  
thought to be 'measured out, apportioned' to the dreamer. This is, of  
course, very speculative.

As for _draugm-_, I never was very happy with the connection to the  
root _*dhreugh-_ 'deceive' etc.  However, other connection don't seem  
really good.

David

On 04.09.2005, at 15:43, llama_nom wrote:

> (ge)mætan (long æ), "to dream", impersonal with dat. or acc. of
> dreamer AND ACC. OF DREAM, e.g. swa his man-drihten gemæted
> wearþ "as his lord had dreamed".  Origin of this verb unknown; no
> cognates according to the Oxford English Dictionary.  Not the same
> as metan "meet" (Go. (ga)motjan).  The Gothic form, if it existed,
> would be *metjan.
> ___________________________________________
>
> *draugm- is based on an idea of Kluge, who suggested the word could
> be related to ON draugr, an undead being, and German
> Trug "deception".  But there is no sign of /g/ in the attested forms.
> ___________________________________________
>



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