lucid dreaming

English Noun

Definition

A form of dreaming in which the conscious mind takes control over the contents of the dream.

Etymology

Coined by psychiatrist Frederik Willem van Eeden in his paper A Study of Dreams (1913). It is possible that he coined this as a calque of "rêve lucide", which appears in Les Rêves et les Moyens de les Diriger; Observations Pratiques (1867) by Marquis d'Hervey de Saint-Denys.