Definition
The feeling you get when your body needs water; thirst.
Example
Después de correr, tengo mucha sed.
Show translation
After running, I am very thirsty.
Etymology
From Latin *sitis* ("thirst"), which evolved through Vulgar Latin into Old Spanish *set*, settling into modern *sed*. The same Latin root gave rise to related expressions across the Romance languages: Portuguese *sede*, Italian *sete*, French *soif* (via a different sound path).
Cultural note
In Spanish, thirst and hunger are expressed with *tener* ("to have") rather than *to be*: **tengo sed** (literally "I have thirst"), not *soy sediento*. Using *estar* or *ser* here is a classic English-speaker mistake. *Sed* also appears in figurative, literary contexts — *sed de justicia* ("thirst for justice") or *sed de poder* ("thirst for power") — making it a versatile word at any level.