patatús
Spanish
editEtymology
editFrom 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
editNoun
editpatatús 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