butaca

armchair

noun boo-TAH-kah Rare

Origin: From a Caribbean indigenous language (possibly Taíno or Arawak).

Also means

theater seat

Usage Note

Butaca has two main uses: the padded armchair found in living rooms, and the individual seat in a theater, cinema, or lecture hall (equivalent to 'stall seat' in British English). In the theater context, las butacas are the front rows of the stalls, as opposed to el gallinero (the 'gods'/cheap upper tier). The indigenous origin sets it apart from most furniture vocabulary.

Examples

"Se quedó dormido en la butaca del cine."

Natural Translation

He fell asleep in the cinema seat.

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