somnĭo, āvi, ātum, 1, v. a. (dep. collat. form: hic aedes non somniatur, Petr. 74, 14) [somnium], to dream; to dream of or see in a dream (freq. and class.).
I Lit.: mirum atque inscitum somniavi somnium, Plaut. Rud. 3, 1, 5; so, somnium, id. Mil. 2, 4, 28; 2, 4, 47: aliquid (in somnis), id. Rud. 3, 4, 68; id. Curc. 2, 1, 32; 2, 2, 4; Ter. And. 971; Cic. Div. 2, 59, 121 al.; cf. aurum, Plaut. Stich. 5, 2, 18: ovum, Cic. Div. 2, 65, 134: speciem fortunae querentis, Suet. Galb. 18 al.; cf.: me somnies, me exspectes, de me cogites, Ter. Eun. 194.— With obj.-clause : videbar somniare med ego esse mortuum, Enn. ap. Cic. Ac. 2 ( Luc. ), 16, 51 (Epich. v. 1, p. 167 Vahl.); Plaut. Mil. 2, 4, 39; Cic. Div. 1, 20, 39; 2, 65, 134 init. ; Suet. Aug. 91; 94; id. Claud. 37 al.—With de : hanc credo causam de illo somniandi fuisse, Cic. Div. 2, 67, 140: puer, de quo somniasset, Suet. Aug. 94.— Absol. : totas noctes somniamus, Cic. Div. 2, 59, 121; id. Ac. 2 ( Luc. ), 16, 51; Plin. 10, 75, 98, § 211; Suet. Ner. 46 al.— Impers. pass. : Aristoteles et Fabianus plurimum somniari circa ver et auctumnum tradunt, Plin. 28, 4, 14, § 54. —
II Transf., as in Engl. to dream , i. e. to think idly or vainly , to talk foolishly : eho, quae tu somnias! Hic homo non sanus est, what are you dreaming about? Plaut. Merc. 5, 2, 109: quos Summanos somnias? id. Curc. 4, 3, 14: de Lanuvino Phameae erravi; Trojanum somniabam, Cic. Att. 9, 13, 6: ineptias, Col. 1, 8, 2: ah stulte! tu de Psaltriā me somnias Agere, Ter. Ad. 724; Plaut. Pers. 2, 3, 5.— Absol. : vigilans somniat, Plaut. Am. 2, 2, 65; id. Capt. 4, 2, 68: portenta non disserentium philosophorum sed somniantium, Cic. N. D. 1, 8, 18.