sobremesa

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after-meal conversation, post-meal linger, time at the table after eating, table covering, table mat
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/sobɾeˈmesa/
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The relaxed time spent at the table after eating, with older senses for a table covering and, now obsolete, dessert.

Examples

  • Apagaron los móviles para alargar la sobremesa.
    They turned off their phones to stretch out the after-meal conversation.
  • La sobremesa blanca combinaba con la vajilla azul.
    The white table covering matched the blue dishes.
  • La sobremesa del domingo reunió a toda la familia.
    Sunday sobremesa brought the whole family together.
  • La tienda vendía sobremesas de lino y algodón.
    The shop sold linen and cotton table coverings.
  • En esa acepción, sobremesa quedó desplazada por postre.
    In that sense, sobremesa was displaced by postre.

Similar words

dulce
descanso
mantel
convivencia
cubremesa
postre
tapete
paño
conversación
reposo

Meanings

Time at the table after eating

noun
dining
neutral
The relaxed time after a meal when people stay at the table to talk, drink coffee, or enjoy one another’s company.

Examples

  • La sobremesa duró más que la comida.
    The after-meal conversation lasted longer than the meal.
  • Después del postre, nos quedamos de sobremesa con café.
    After dessert, we stayed at the table for sobremesa with coffee.
  • En casa de mis abuelos, la sobremesa siempre termina con historias antiguas.
    At my grandparents’ house, sobremesa always ends with old stories.
  • El restaurante no nos apuró y disfrutamos una larga sobremesa.
    The restaurant did not rush us, and we enjoyed a long post-meal linger.
  • La sobremesa del domingo reunió a toda la familia.
    Sunday sobremesa brought the whole family together.
  • Apagaron los móviles para alargar la sobremesa.
    They turned off their phones to stretch out the after-meal conversation.
  • Una buena sobremesa convierte la cena en una ocasión especial.
    A good sobremesa turns dinner into a special occasion.

Similar words

Covering placed on a table

noun
home
formal
A cloth, mat, or other covering put over a table for decoration, cleanliness, or comfort.

Examples

  • La sobremesa protegía la madera del comedor.
    The table covering protected the dining-room wood.
  • Eligieron una sobremesa bordada para la mesa antigua.
    They chose an embroidered table covering for the old table.
  • La tienda vendía sobremesas de lino y algodón.
    The shop sold linen and cotton table coverings.
  • Una sobremesa sencilla bastó para decorar el salón.
    A simple table covering was enough to decorate the living room.
  • Quitó la sobremesa antes de limpiar la superficie.
    She removed the table covering before cleaning the surface.
  • La sobremesa blanca combinaba con la vajilla azul.
    The white table covering matched the blue dishes.
  • Guardaron las sobremesas en el armario del comedor.
    They stored the table coverings in the dining-room cupboard.

Similar words

Obsolete word for dessert

noun
dining
archaic
An old, now disused way to refer to the dessert served at the end of a meal.

Examples

  • En un texto antiguo, sobremesa podía significar el postre.
    In an old text, sobremesa could mean the dessert.
  • La definición académica marca sobremesa como voz desusada para postre.
    The academic definition marks sobremesa as a disused word for dessert.
  • Hoy nadie pediría la sobremesa queriendo decir el dulce final.
    Today no one would ask for sobremesa meaning the final sweet course.
  • El lector moderno puede confundir esa sobremesa antigua con la charla posterior.
    The modern reader may confuse that old sobremesa with the later conversation.
  • En esa acepción, sobremesa quedó desplazada por postre.
    In that sense, sobremesa was displaced by postre.
  • La novela usaba sobremesa con un valor culinario ya arcaico.
    The novel used sobremesa with a culinary sense that is now archaic.
  • El diccionario conserva sobremesa como nombre desusado del postre.
    The dictionary preserves sobremesa as a disused name for dessert.

Similar words

Etymology

Formed from Spanish sobre, meaning over or upon, and mesa, meaning table, literally pointing to what is on the table or what happens around it.

FAQ

What does sobremesa mean?

Sobremesa usually means the relaxed time spent talking at the table after a meal.

Is sobremesa the same as dessert?

Not in current Spanish. Postre is the normal word for dessert, while sobremesa is the time after eating. The dessert sense is obsolete.

Is sobremesa masculine or feminine?

Sobremesa is feminine, so it is la sobremesa and una sobremesa.

What is de sobremesa?

De sobremesa can mean immediately after eating at the table, and it also appears in expressions such as lámpara de sobremesa for a table lamp.

Where does sobremesa come from?

It comes from sobre and mesa, a transparent formation connected with what is on the table or happens around it.

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