To sleep lightly or briefly, or to be in a state of light sleep; past tense of 'doze.'
From Dutch dozen or possibly Scandinavian dusa meaning 'to sleep lightly.' The word appeared in English around the 1600s and specifically refers to shallow, intermittent sleep.
Your brain actually does something amazing while you doze—it cycles through different sleep stages super quickly, which is why a 20-minute nap can feel incredibly refreshing!
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