ciénaga

¹

or cie·ne·ga

[ syey-nuh-guh, syen-uh-, sin- ]

noun

, Southwestern U.S.

1. a swamp or marsh, especially one formed and fed by springs.

Ciénaga

²

[ sye-nah-gah ]

noun

1. a city in N Colombia, on the SE coast of the Caribbean Sea.

Word History and Origins

Origin of ciénaga¹

1840–50, Americanism; < Spanish, derivative of cieno mud, slime < Latin caenum filth

Example Sentences

In “La Ciénaga,” even the summer is an unequally distributed resource, its malaise laying bare deeper social ills.

From New York Times

You could watch “La Ciénaga” in an air-conditioned room in the chilly depths of winter, and you’d still find yourself wiping sweat from your brow, swatting at imaginary mosquitoes and reaching for a glass of cold wine.

From New York Times

There’s no straightforward narrative arc in “La Ciénaga”; instead, the oppressive heat is the plot, and Martel studies the instincts that it unleashes in her petty, middle-class characters.

From New York Times

"When I was a small boy, he would put me on Cienaga's steam locomotives, that don't exist anymore," he said.

From Reuters

If Martel’s three previous masterpieces La Ciénaga, The Holy Girl, and The Headless Woman hadn’t already done the trick, Zama would confirm her as one of the world’s essential filmmakers.

From Slate