nvi. To dream or fancy; fantasy; dream of a cherished wish, whether good or bad.

I wouldn’t say Martin Luther King, Jr., had a fantasy when he uttered his famous speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. But it was definitely a cherished wish. Moemoeā is the word used for a dream.

I tend to use moemoeā when referring to a good wish kind of dream (even though the definition above says “whether good or bad”). The word for nightmare is moe ʻino – bad sleep. Or moe hewa – wrong sleep.

Moemoeā, moe mālie i ka poli ē – Dream, sleep well in the bosom (name the tune!).

Ua nanea ka moemoeā – The dreaming was pleasant.