{"id":6516,"date":"2022-08-23T17:58:59","date_gmt":"2022-08-23T17:58:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/?p=6516"},"modified":"2022-08-23T17:58:59","modified_gmt":"2022-08-23T17:58:59","slug":"fever-dream-meaning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/fever-dream-meaning\/","title":{"rendered":"Fever Dream \u2013 Meaning, Origin and Usage"},"content":{"rendered":"

Did you have a vivid dream last night? Maybe you experienced a \u2018fever dream<\/em><\/strong>.\u2019 This post unpacks the meaning and origin of this expression.<\/p>\n

Meaning<\/h2>\n

The expression \u2018fever dream\u2019<\/em> refers to a vivid dream state that feels real to the initate<\/u>. It\u2019s similar to \u2018lucid dreaming<\/em>,\u2019 but you have no control over where the dream takes you<\/u>.<\/p>\n

However, the experience feels real, and you\u2019ll wake from a fever dream in confusion, thinking that it was something that took place in reality.<\/p>\n

Fever dreams don\u2019t have to accompany a fever caused by illness. The term morphed during the 1900s to mean any dream experience that feels remarkably real to the person.<\/p>\n

Example Usage<\/h2>\n

\u201cWow, I had this hectic fever dream last night, and it felt like it was so real. I woke up this morning and couldn\u2019t remember the dream properly, but I just remember it being so vivid.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve had fever dreams before when I got sick with that virus. They were intense, and I remember them feeling real. I wonder why it has that effect on me?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe fever dreams will be intense and realistic when they arrive. Make sure you have some water next to the bed when you wake up because your mouth might be dry.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t mind having \u2018fever dreams. It\u2019s the fever nightmares that I find disturbing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\" \"\"<\/p>\n

Origin<\/h2>\n

The expression \u2018fever dream\u2019 originates from the early 19th century. People use it to describe the vivid dreams experienced by westerners visiting Africa. They experienced bites from mosquitoes carrying malaria, leading to infection and long bouts of fever that sometimes resulted in death.<\/p>\n

During the fever, the patient would experience delusions and vivid dreams. The first known written reference to \u2018fever dreams\u2019 comes from a letter penned by Samuel Taylor Coleridge in 1801, which reads as follows.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven the Forms which struck terror into me in my fever-dreams were still forms of Beauty.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Oxford English Dictionary states fever dreams could have older origins. It may derive from the German phrase, \u2018Fiebertraum,\u2019 translating to \u2018fever dream.\u2019<\/p>\n

A 2020 study of \u2018fever dreams\u2019 by medical researchers saw 100 of 164 participants experience \u2018fever dreams\u2019 during the survey.<\/p>\n