infarctus

heart attack, infarction

noun an-fark-TUSS Rare

Origin: Latin infarctus (stuffed, blocked)

Usage Note

Infarctus is the standard medical and everyday term in French for a heart attack; the full form is infarctus du myocarde. Colloquially, French speakers say faire un infarctus for 'to have a heart attack', and the phrase is also used hyperbolically to express shock or extreme stress. It is one of the few French words where the final s is pronounced.

Examples

"Son père a survécu à un infarctus."

Natural Translation

His father survived a heart attack.

Related Words

Explore French by topic

FrenchNow

En, Au, Aux: French Prepositions for Countries

Use en for feminine countries, au for masculine, aux for plural, and à for cities. Full French preposition rule for countries, with a lookup table and traps.

June 4, 2026 5 min read

FrenchNow

Le, La, Un, Du: French Articles Made Simple

Le, la, un, du, des made simple: pick the French article family by meaning, the form by gender, and dodge the two mistakes English speakers always make.

June 4, 2026 5 min read

FrenchNow

Avoir or Être? Picking the Right Past-Tense Helper

Use avoir for the passé composé unless the verb is reflexive or one of ~16 DR MRS VANDERTRAMP motion verbs, which take être and force agreement.

June 4, 2026 5 min read

FrenchNow

French Café Culture: How to Order Like a Local

In a French café, un café means espresso, one drink rents the table for an hour, and you must ask for the bill. Order coffee like a local with these phrases.

June 4, 2026 7 min read