"Esta" is the feminine form of the Spanish word "este" which means "this" in English. In the given clue, "Cómo ____ usted?", "esta" would be translated as "this", so the complete sentence would be "Cómo está usted?" which translates to "How are you?"
Note: The provided meaning of the answer is for the latest New York Times crossword puzzle clue: ___ vez (this time. Explanations are generated by AI and may be inaccurate.