Spanish Conversation · Level 49
75 words
Spanish word
matraca
Pronunciation
IPA/maˈtɾaka/
Meaning
- feminine nounrattle
Example
Los niños juegan con la matraca.
The children are playing with the rattle.
More examples
En la fiesta tradicional todos hacían sonar la matraca para celebrar.
At the traditional festival everyone sounded the rattle to celebrate.
Core concept
Handheld hollow noisemaker whose inner pieces strike to produce a repeated clacking sound.
Common phrases
hacer sonar la matraca
sound the rattle
hacer ruido con la matraca
make noise with the rattle
Similar words
maraca: Produces a bright, musical rattle when shaken, from small beads inside a hollow shell.
sonaja: Gives a gentle, simple rattle designed for infants to hold and shake as a toy.
Definition in Spanish
Objeto hueco con piezas internas que chocan al agitarlo y producen un sonido repetido; por extensión, en lenguaje coloquial matraca también puede referirse a un ruido o charla molesta y reiterada.
Word origin
From Medieval Latin matracca, originally the name of a noise-making instrument.
Usage tips
- Used colloquially in expressions like 'dar la matraca' to mean to pester or go on and on, so it often describes annoying repetition rather than just the toy.
Other meanings
- ratchetnoun
Opposites
- silenciosilencenoun