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noun

abbiocco

/abːjˈɔkːo/

the sleepy, drowsy feeling you get after eating a big meal (a "food coma")

Definitions

  1. 1

    Drowsiness or sleepiness, especially after eating a heavy meal (food coma)

    “Dopo il pranzo di Natale, ci ha preso un abbiocco tremendo.”

    After Christmas lunch, we were hit by a terrible food coma.

  2. 2

    A general feeling of sluggishness or sleepiness (not only from food)

    “Con questo caldo, oggi pomeriggio mi è venuto un gran abbiocco.”

    With this heat, I got really drowsy this afternoon.

Word forms

Gender
masculine
Plural
abbiocchi
Usage
Informal, colloquial word, very common in spoken Italian; typically used with the verbs 'venire' or 'prendere' (e.g. 'mi viene l'abbiocco').

Colloquial and playful in tone; avoid in formal writing. Often used humorously among friends after a big meal.