noun
siesta
see-EHS-tuh
noun
1
A short nap or rest taken in the early afternoon, especially during the hottest part of the day.
"Shops in the town close for a siesta between two and five."
"He stretched out on the sofa for a quick siesta after lunch."
verb
1
To take a siesta; to nap in the afternoon.
"We siestaed through the worst of the midday heat."
How to Use Siesta
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishAn afternoon nap, often built into the daily schedule in hot countries.
Common pairings
take a siesta
afternoon siesta
siesta time
Word Forms
siestaed past tense, siestas plural, siestas singular
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Shops in the town close for a _____ between two and five.
Etymology
From Spanish siesta, going back to Latin sexta (hora), "the sixth hour" (counted from dawn) — that is, midday.