Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

siesta

/siˈɛstə/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.60 in modern English

Syllables: sies-ta
IPA: /siˈɛstə/

6

Scrabble Score

6

Letters

3

Syllables

5

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A nap, especially an afternoon one taken during the hottest part of the day in some cultures.

Countable

noun

Laid-back attitudes to work or laziness, especially by a Hispanic person.

Offensive

verb

to take a siesta; to nap.

Intransitive verb

Example Sentences

"One humid afternoon a visitor did arrive to disturb Rottcodd as he lay deeply hammocked, for his siesta was broken sharply by a rattling of the door handle […]"
"When it's time for siesta, you can watch them go by / Beautiful faces, no cares in this world"
"Lest we think all of this is due to the proverbial inefficiency of the Latin American - 'siesta people' - we can see some of these signs, perhaps in a less dramatic way, in European societies and in the celebrated 'tigers' of South East Asia."
"I had eaten a simple lunch, and in the relaxed siesta attitude that pervaded the place I settled back in my chair and looked at the mountains behind in all their austerity."
"Many observers believe the subtropical environment contributes to a slow-paced, siesta culture in which nothing work-related is so important that it cannot wait until tomorrow."

Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish siesta, from Latin sexta (“the sixth hour from dawn, noon, midday”). Doublet of sext.

Origin

Source language: Latin

Word Breakdown

Root: sexta

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /siˈɛstə/
British English: /siˈɛstə/

Usage

Inflected Forms

siestas (plural) siestas (present, singular) siestaing (participle, present) siestaed (participle, past) siestaed (past)

Synonyms

siest shut-eye mañana

Rhymes With

fiesta podesta esta vesta testa festa cuesta mesta celesta pesta tempesta presta

Questions

How do you pronounce siesta?: The recorded pronunciation is /siˈɛstə/.
What does siesta mean?: A nap, especially an afternoon one taken during the hottest part of the day in some cultures.
Where does siesta come from?: It is traced to Latin.

How to pronounce siesta

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