"Hienda" refers to a rural property, typically a ranch or farm. It is used to describe a place in the countryside where agricultural activities are carried out. This term is more commonly used in Spain than in Latin America. It is a word that is more frequently used in written contexts rather than in oral speech.
Examples
La familia compró una hienda en las afueras de la ciudad. (The family bought a ranch on the outskirts of the city.)
Le ofrecieron trabajar en una hienda durante el verano. (They offered him a job on a farm during the summer.)
Idiomatic Expressions
tener mucha hienda en la soga (to be very skilled or experienced)
Translation: to be very experienced or skillful
Example: El hombre tiene mucha hienda en la soga y siempre logra arreglar cualquier problema. (The man is very skilled and always manages to fix any problem.)
cambiar de hienda (to change one's way of living)
Translation: to change one's lifestyle
Example: Después de la enfermedad, decidió cambiar de hienda y empezó a disfrutar más la vida. (After the illness, he decided to change his lifestyle and started enjoying life more.)
Etymology
The word "hienda" comes from the Latin word "fendere," which means "to split" or "to divide." Over time, it evolved into "fīncta" in Vulgar Latin, and then through different Romance languages, it became "hacienda" in Spanish, meaning an estate or property.