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Word of the day

siesta

[ see-es-tuh ] [ siˈɛs tə ] Show IPA Phonetic Respelling

noun

a midday or afternoon rest or nap

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Why Dictionary.com chose siesta

More about siesta

  • First recorded in 1645–55.
  • Ultimately a shortening of the Latin phrase sexta hōra, meaning “the sixth hour or midday.”

EXAMPLES OF SIESTA

  • A gentle breeze and a shaded bench made for the perfect impromptu siesta.
  • After lunch, the whole village seemed to vanish into a collective siesta.
20240103
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Word of the day

erst

[ urst ] [ ɜrst ] Show IPA Phonetic Respelling

adverb

before the present time, formerly

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Why Dictionary.com chose erst

More about erst

  • From Old English (450–1150) ǣ, meaning “first.”
  • Combines ere, meaning “early or before,” + .

EXAMPLES OF ERST

  • Erst the heart of the city’s jazz scene, the street is now filled with retail chains.
  • The factory floor, erst full of noise and life, now stood silent beneath a thick layer of dust.
20240103
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Word of the day

geyser

[ gahy-zer ] [ ˈgaɪ zər ] Show IPA Phonetic Respelling

noun

a hot spring that sends up fountains of water and steam into the air

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Why Dictionary.com chose geyser

More about geyser

  • First recorded in 1755–65.
  • From Geysir, name of a specific hot spring in Iceland, meaning “gusher.”

EXAMPLES OF GEYSER

  • Like clockwork, the geyser released a boiling plume of steam every hour.
  • The earliest accounts of the phenomenon claimed the geyser basin smelled like sulfur and sounded like thunder.
20240103
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Word of the Day Calendar