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matatán

mah-tah-TAHNnounInformal

A Dominican Spanish slang term. Browse all Dominican slang.

What it means

  1. The top man; the one nobody in the room outranks at whatever is being done. Applied to a musician, a mechanic or a neighbourhood boss with equal ease.

  2. As a term of address it is flattery, and usually flattery with a request attached: 'dime, matatán'.

Examples with translations

  • El matatán del barrio e' él, to' el mundo lo respeta.

    He's the big man round here, everyone respects him.

  • Dime, matatán, ¿tú me puede' hacer un favor?

    Hey, boss — can you do me a favour?

    Note: The flattering vocative, almost always a preamble to asking for something.

Where it comes from

Origin uncertain. It is often linked to matar, 'to kill', but the -atán ending is unexplained and no derivation has been established. Current in Dominican street speech long before it was taken up as a stage name by dembow and reggaeton artists, which is what carried it off the island.