What is "siesta"

Siesta \Si*es"ta\, n. [Sp., probably fr. L. sessitare to sit much or long, v. freq. of sedere, sessum, to sit. See Sit.] A short sleep taken about the middle of the day, or after dinner; a midday nap.

"mid-day nap," 1650s, from Spanish siesta, from Latin sexta (hora) "sixth (hour)," the noon of the Roman day (coming six hours after sunrise), from sexta, fem. of sextus "sixth" (see Sextus).

n. A nap, especially an afternoon one taken after lunch in some cultures. vb. (context intransitive English) to take a siesta; to nap.

n. a nap in the early afternoon (especially in hot countries)

A siesta (developed from Spanish, meaning "nap") is a short nap taken in the early afternoon, often after the midday meal. Such a period of sleep is a common tradition in some countries, particularly those where the weather is warm.

The siesta is historically common throughout the Mediterranean and Southern Europe. It is the traditional daytime sleep of Spain and, through Spanish influence, the Philippines, and many Hispanic American countries. The word siesta of the Spanish language derives originally from the Latin word ''hora sexta '' "sixth hour" (counting from dawn, hence "midday rest"). Siesta is also common in Italy (there called riposo, pisolino), where museums, churches and shops close during midday so that proprietors can go home for a long lunch and perhaps a snooze during the day’s hottest hours. Einhard's Life of Charlemagne describes the emperor's summertime siestas: "In summer, after his midday meal, he would eat some fruit and take another drink; then he would remove his shoes and undress completely, just as he did at night, and rest for two or three hours."

Factors explaining the geographical distribution of the modern siesta are high temperatures and heavy intake of food at the midday meal. Combined, these two factors contribute to the feeling of post-lunch drowsiness. In many countries that practice the siesta, the heat can be unbearable in the early afternoon, making a midday break at home welcome. However, siesta is also practiced in some colder regions, such as Patagonia. It used to be the custom in Russia, with Adam Olearius stating such was "the custom of the Countrey, where sleep is as necessary after Dinner as in the Night". One source of hostility toward False Dmitriy I was that he did not "...indulge in the siesta." This may indicate that the siesta has a stronger relation with culture than with climate.

SIESTA (Spanish Initiative for Electronic Simulations with Thousands of Atoms) is an original method and a software implementation for performing electronic structure calculations and ab initio molecular dynamics simulations of molecules and solids.

It uses a density functional theory code that predicts the physical properties of a collection of atoms.

Properties that can be predicted using the code include Kohn–Sham band-structures, electron density, and Mulliken populations.

A siesta is a short nap taken in the early afternoon, often after the midday meal.

Siesta may also refer to:

• Siesta (film), directed by Mary Lambert
• SIESTA (computer program), an ab-initio program
• Prince Polo, a chocolate bar also sold under the name Siesta

A place with the name Siesta:

• Siesta Key, Florida
• Siesta Beach, Florida
• Siesta Shores, Texas

Siesta is a 1987 film directed by Mary Lambert, and starring Ellen Barkin, Gabriel Byrne and Jodie Foster. It also stars Martin Sheen, Isabella Rossellini, Grace Jones, Julian Sands and Alexei Sayle.

"Siesta" is one of the best known poems of Shampa Sinha, the Indian born Australian poet. The poem won First Prize in the Fifth All India Poetry Competition conducted by The Poetry Society (India) in 1993. The poem was the second major award winning work of Shampa Sinha after she won the Best Young Poet award at the Third National Poetry Competition in 1991.