rêverie

Rêverie is a French noun meaning a state of being pleasantly lost in one's thoughts, a daydream or dreamy meditation. The word derives from rêve, "dream," plus the suffix -erie, and in English the form reverie is common, sometimes without the diacritic.

Used more broadly, a reverie may describe a mood, scene, or passage of writing in which the external world fades and imagination or memory takes precedence. It is frequently associated with nostalgia, introspection, or speculative thought.

In music, rêverie designates pieces intended to evoke a dreamlike atmosphere. Composers have used the term for short, lyrical works or sections meant to sound entrancing and contemplative; a well-known example is Debussy's Rêverie, a gentle piano piece that foregrounds lyricism and a floating mood.

In psychology and psychoanalysis, reverie refers to a waking dreamlike state or reflective mental processing. In object relations theory and related approaches, the term describes a caregiver's capacity to imaginatively engage with an infant's inner life, providing attunement and a holding environment; the concept is also used to describe analysts' receptivity to latent material during sessions.

Related terms include daydream and contemplation.