siesta

/ˈsjesta/ · B1 · noun · f

siesta

🛌☀️ From Latin sexta hora, the sixth hour: noon, counted from dawn

The Romans counted daylight hours from sunrise, so the sixth hour (sexta) fell at midday. The rest taken around that hottest hour became siesta. Sexta → siesta, like six → siesta.

More Spanish words · How Spanish works