siesta

[ see-es-tuh ]

/ siˈɛs tə /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR siesta ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

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

Nearby words

sierra madre del sur, sierra morena, sierra nevada, sierra vista, sies, siesta, sieva bean, sieve, sieve cell, sieve graft, sieve of eratosthenes

Origin of siesta

1645–55; < Spanish < Latin sexta (hōra) the sixth (hour), midday

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for siesta

How can anyone go home for a three-course meal and a siesta in the midst of peak trading?
Discovering The Charms Of La France Profonde|Emma Woolf|June 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But what do the poor children of Porto Rico do, while Manuel is taking his "siesta," as the afternoon nap is called?
Our Little Porto Rican Cousin|Mary Hazelton Wade
We had acquired the siesta habit, so lay down until four o'clock.
Poor Folk in Spain|Jan Gordon
One of these figures was Benjy, and he was taking his siesta.
The Crossing|Winston Churchill

The siesta may dispose of an hour or an hour and a half, but about seven o'clock some definite occupation has to be found.
Russia|Donald Mackenzie Wallace
"Mr. Menocal takes his siesta till three o'clock; you can see him at that time," he said, in English.
The Iron Furrow|George C. Shedd

British Dictionary definitions for siesta

siesta

/ (sɪˈɛstə) /

noun

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

Word Origin for siesta

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012