cortavenas

Spanish

Etymology

Verb-object compound, composed of corta (“to cut”) +‎ venas (“veins”). Literally, “vein-cutting”.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /koɾtaˈbenas/ [koɾ.t̪aˈβ̞e.nas]
• Rhymes: -enas
• Syllabification: cor‧ta‧ve‧nas

Adjective

cortavenas (invariable)

1. (colloquial, Latin America, of a song or music) melancholic, especially regarding love disappointment; dealing with brokenheartedness

   Puse música cortavenas y mi amigo comenzó a llorar.

   I played melancholic music and my friend started crying.

Further reading

• “cortavenas”, in Diccionario de americanismos [Dictionary of Americanisms] (in Spanish), Association of Academies of the Spanish Language [Spanish: Asociación de Academias de la Lengua Española], 2010