Dreamtide

/ˈdriːmtaɪd/ noun

Definition

A poetic term for the tide or flow of dreams; the rising and falling of dream experiences.

Etymology

From dream + tide (Old English tid, meaning 'time' or 'season,' but also 'tide'). Tide originally meant 'a fixed time' before specializing to mean 'tidal movement,' making this a poetic metaphor of dreams as a temporal flow.

Kelly Says

Medieval and Renaissance poets loved tidal metaphors for internal psychological states—'dreamtide' suggests that dreams surge and recede like ocean tides, connecting the vastness of the unconscious mind to the vastness of the sea.

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