Word of the Day

Sunday, November 04, 2012

siesta

\ see-ES-tuh \, noun;

A midday or afternoon rest or nap.

Among the Yangüesans it was customary for them and their teams to spend the

siesta in places providing grass and water, and the spot where Don Quixote happened

to be was very much to their liking.

-- Miguel De Cervantes, Don Quixote

At noon I closed the shop, but still I was reluctant to leave those three rooms filled

with merchandise,and I lay down among some grain sacks to get through the heat

of the siesta .

-- Isabel Allende, Eva Luna

While siesta is associated with Latin America, its origin is in the Latin sexta hōra,

meaning "sixth hour," or noon.

Thanks to: www.dictionary.com