mætan

From an earlier sense meaning "to paint, sculpt, design," from Proto-West Germanic *maitijan (“to cut”), from Proto-Germanic *maitaną. Doublet of mētan (“to paint, sculpt, design”). The semantic shift of "to paint, sculpt, design" > "to dream" is likely analogical, i.e. a dream being likened to a series of images being painted for the dreamer (hence its impersonal use).

• IPA^(key): /ˈmæː.tɑn/

mǣtan

1. (impersonal) to dream (+accusative of dream) (+dative or accusative of person)

   Þonne hē slǣpþ, þonne mǣt hine be þē ānre.

   When he sleeps, he only dreams about you.

   • late 10th century, Ælfric, the Old English Hexateuch, Genesis 42:9

     Þā ġemunde Iosep þāra swefna þe hine æt sumum ċierre ǣr mǣtte.

     Then Joseph remembered the dreams that he'd had at some point before.

Following verbs were subjunctive: Mē mǣtte þæt iċ wǣre ġīet on mīnum ealdan hūse ("I dreamed that I was [lit. were] still in my old house").

• mǣting
• ġemǣtan

• Middle English: meten
  • English: met

• swefn