patatús
Spanish edit
Etymology edit
From pata (“foot”) + tús (possibly an onomatopoeia imitating the thump made by someone falling onto the ground). Some have proposed it that it may have come from French patapouf (“splat!”).
Pronunciation edit
Noun edit
patatús m (plural patatuses)
- (colloquial) faint (act of fainting), swoon
- (colloquial) heart attack; fit
- Synonym: ataque al corazón
- ¡Que triste! Según su hijo, le dio un patatús mientras dormía.
- How sad! According to his son, he suffered a heart attack in his sleep.
- 2014, Gutiérrez Flores Gutiérrez, Por una cabeza, page 74:
- Con que salgo de la cama y me encuentro á usted tenido en esa silla a la larga, porque le dió un patatús...
- I got out of bed and I found you clinging onto that chair, for you had suffered a heart attack...
Further reading edit
- “patatús”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014