noun

nightmare

nightmare, bad dream

I had a terrible nightmare last night.

I had a terrible nightmare last night.

The trip turned into a complete nightmare.

The trip turned into a complete nightmare.

((a nightmare)) a frightening dream or experience I had a nightmare about falling.

Synonyms: bad dream, horror; Antonyms: sweet dream, daydream

From Old English 'niht' (night) + 'mare' (an evil spirit thought to afflict sleepers).

Imagine a 'mare' (a female horse) running wildly through the 'night', which would be a scary sight.

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