219: nightmare Jul 15, 2015

There is a common misconception that the word 'nightmare' has anything to do with the horses. The word derives from Middle English denoting an evil spirit thought to lie upon and suffocate sleepers, which comes from a combination of 'night' and Old English, 'mære' which meant a 'succubus' or ‘incubus'. In fact the word 'incubus' comes from the Latin word 'incubo' which means ‘nightmare’, and comes from the verb 'incubare' meaning ‘lie on’. Even today 'incubus' is an archaic term meaning 'nightmare'.