descanso n. a roadside marker or memorial to a victim of an automobile accident. Etymological Note: From Spanish descanso ‘resting place (of a dead person),’ from the verb descansar ‘to (have a) rest.’ (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
descanso n.— «While a gravesite marks the resting place of physical remains, a descanso is intended to mark the place where the spirit left the body.» —“Americans find room for descansos” by Elda Silva San Antonio...
descanso n.— «Williams said one of the cars came to rest against a descanso, or roadside cross often put up by family and friends to mark where someone died, usually in a traffic accident.» —“Fiery Crash on I-25 Kills...
descanso n.— «Alongside Interstate 80 in Knowlton Township is something called a descanso, a Spanish word that means a roadside memorial. It is for state Trooper Philip Lamonaco.» —“Tenuous Bond Links Two Memorials” by Rod...
descanso n.— «The practice of erecting memorials may have its origins in Mexico. Roadside memorials there are called descanso, which means resting place.» —“Roadside reminders” by Kelly Garbus Kansas City Star...
descanso n.— «In the Southwest, the markers are called descansos, which comes from the Spanish word for resting. The practice comes from a Spanish tradition of placing stones where pallbearers rested between the church and the cemetery...


