rapid eye movement

noun

1. rapidly shifting, continuous movements of the eyes beneath closed lids during the stage of sleep characterized by dreaming.

rapid eye movement

noun

1. movement of the eyeballs under closed eyelids during paradoxical sleep, which occurs while the sleeper is dreaming REM

Word History and Origins

Origin of rapid eye movement¹

First recorded in 1915–20

Example Sentences

The fourth stage of sleep is the one experts call rapid eye movement, or REM sleep.

From Popular-Science

REM — rapid eye movement — sleep is a particularly interesting sleep stage in which muscle paralysis may allow us to experience dark and negative dreams with no risk of acting them out.

From Washington Post