merienda
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afternoon snack, tea, lunch, midday meal, afternoon snack gathering
/meˈɾjenda/
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A light meal or a shared occasion for eating, with older and regional meanings ranging from lunch to a cooked accompaniment.
Examples
Terminada la merienda, reanudaron el trabajo.
After the meal, they resumed work.
En ese uso coloquial, merienda significa joroba.
In that colloquial use, merienda means hump.
En algunas familias mexicanas, la merienda es la cena.
In some Mexican families, merienda is dinner.
Su merienda de mediodía incluía pan y queso.
His midday meal included bread and cheese.
Llevó una merienda ligera al parque.
She took a light snack to the park.
Similar words
giba
comidajoroba
reunión
acompañamiento
almuerzo
guarnición
refrigerio
colación
corcova
Meanings
Examples
Los niños toman la merienda al salir de clase.
The children have an afternoon snack after class.
Preparé fruta para la merienda.
I prepared fruit for the afternoon snack.
Hoy la merienda fue pan con chocolate.
Today's snack was bread with chocolate.
Quedamos a las cinco para la merienda.
We are meeting at five for an afternoon snack.
Llevó una merienda ligera al parque.
She took a light snack to the park.
Similar words
refrigerio
tentempié
colación
once
lonche
Examples
Los jornaleros hicieron una pausa para la merienda del mediodía.
The farm workers paused for their midday meal.
La merienda se sirvió a las doce.
The midday meal was served at twelve.
Compartieron la merienda antes de volver al campo.
They shared lunch before returning to the fields.
Su merienda de mediodía incluía pan y queso.
His midday meal included bread and cheese.
Terminada la merienda, reanudaron el trabajo.
After the meal, they resumed work.
Examples
Organizaron una merienda para celebrar el cumpleaños.
They organised an afternoon snack gathering for the birthday.
La merienda reunió a toda la familia.
The snack gathering brought the whole family together.
Invitaron a los vecinos a una merienda en el jardín.
They invited the neighbours to a tea party in the garden.
Durante la merienda conversaron hasta el anochecer.
They talked until dusk during the gathering.
La escuela preparó una merienda para las familias.
The school prepared an afternoon snack gathering for families.
Examples
El camello tiene una merienda muy marcada.
The camel has a very prominent hump.
La vieja yegua mostraba una merienda en el lomo.
The old mare had a hump on her back.
En ese uso coloquial, merienda significa joroba.
In that colloquial use, merienda means hump.
El dibujo exageraba la merienda del personaje.
The drawing exaggerated the character's hunch.
La chaqueta ocultaba su merienda.
The jacket hid her hump.
Examples
En algunas familias mexicanas, la merienda es la cena.
In some Mexican families, merienda is dinner.
Sirvieron la merienda al caer la noche.
They served dinner at nightfall.
En Ecuador nos invitaron a una merienda abundante.
In Ecuador they invited us to a large evening meal.
La familia se sentó junta para la merienda.
The family sat down together for dinner.
Después de la merienda, todos se fueron a dormir.
After dinner, everyone went to bed.
Examples
La merienda salvadoreña acompañó los tamales.
The Salvadoran pork accompaniment was served with tamales.
Prepararon la merienda con cerdo, tomate, chile, cebolla y yuca.
They prepared the accompaniment with pork, tomato, chilli, onion, and cassava.
Sirvieron una cucharada de merienda junto al plato típico.
They served a spoonful of the accompaniment beside the traditional dish.
Cada casa sazona la merienda a su manera.
Each household seasons the accompaniment differently.
La cocinera frió la carne para la merienda.
The cook fried the meat for the accompaniment.
Etymology
Inherited from Latin merenda, a light meal or food eaten later in the day.
FAQ
Merienda most often means a light afternoon meal or snack, but it also has older and regional meanings.
Is merienda masculine or feminine?
Merienda is feminine, so the usual form is la merienda.
When is a merienda eaten?
The common sense is usually eaten in the middle of the afternoon, between lunch and dinner.
Is merienda the same as dinner?
Not generally. It means dinner in popular speech in Mexico and Ecuador, while elsewhere it usually means an afternoon snack.
What is the plural of merienda?
The regular plural is meriendas.
Can merienda mean a social gathering?
Yes. It can name a gathering where people meet to have an afternoon snack together.
Where does merienda come from?
Merienda comes from Latin merenda, which referred to a light meal or food eaten later in the day.
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