siesta

[see-es-tuh]

noun

1. a midday or afternoon rest or nap, especially as taken in Spain and Latin America.

   He is trying to relax, but the road construction noise seems likely to ruin his siesta.

verb (used without object)

1. to take a midday or afternoon rest or nap.

   It got so hot that even the cicadas started singing earlier and siestaed during the heat of the day.

siesta

/ sɪˈɛstə /

noun

1. a rest or nap, usually taken in the early afternoon, as in hot countries

Word History and Origins

Origin of siesta¹

First recorded in 1645–55; from Spanish, from Latin sexta ( hōra ) “the sixth (hour), midday”

Word History and Origins

Origin of siesta¹

C17: from Spanish, from Latin sexta hōra the sixth hour, that is, noon

Example Sentences

Animals go to their shelter, humans have a siesta, even plants have mechanisms to avoid an overdose of light.

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The entire town seemed to be taking a siesta.

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“I did not present the award for Best Picture. I am not Al Pacino. Maybe you dreamed this during one of your courtroom siestas?”

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Dubbed the “mass siesta,” the event was in commemoration of World Sleep Day.

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While some argue for a stricter definition of the phenomenon, others include naps, siestas, and brief nighttime forays as examples of modern segmented sleep patterns.

Read more on National Geographic