lub-dub  (lubb-dupp)
noun-phrase (onomatopoeia, medicine)

- used to represent the normal rhythm of the heart, comprising the first and second heart sounds

- the characteristic sounds of a normal heartbeat as heard in auscultation (Abhorchen)

Wiktionary / Merriam-Webster

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PHRASE ORIGIN

The term "lub-dub" doesn't have a clear etymological origin in the same sense that many other words do, as it's more an imitation of a sound rather than a word derived from older words.

The choice of "lub" and "dub" to represent these sounds can likely be attributed to these phonemes' ability to mimic the low, somewhat muted sounds produced by the heart.

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HEARING HEARTS

Most bodily sounds are recognizable through hearing. We know the sounds of breathing, sneezing, snoring, and gentle rubbing of the skin. We can also identify a heartbeat, even though our own is often inaudible.

To understand abnormalities, doctors first need to describe a "normal" heartbeat. The medical term "lub-dub" or "lub-dup" represents the heart sounds heard through a stethoscope. It captures the subtle difference in quality between the first and second heart sounds.

The first heart sound, "lub," occurs when the atrioventricular valves close. After the atria finish emptying blood into the ventricles, the valves between them shut to prevent blood leakage. The second heart sound, "dub" or "dup," follows as the ventricles pump blood out of the heart into major blood vessels. Oxygenated blood flows into the aorta for delivery to the body, while deoxygenated blood enters the pulmonary artery for return to the lungs.

Heart-beating sounds in movies and TV shows are a familiar technique for creating dramatic tension — with "lub-dub lub-dub" sometimes amplified to "BA-BOOM! BA-BOOM!"

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QUOTE

“I believe every human has a finite number of heartbeats. I don't intend to waste any of mine."

Neil Armstrong (American astronaut & first man on the moon)

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SYNONYMS

- the pulsation of the heart

adrenaline rush, beat, beating, blood's up, brainwave, cadence, drum, drumming (in the ears), flutter (in the chest), fluttery feeling, hear your heart in your ears, heart aflutter (pounding, pumping, racing, thumping, skipping a beat), heartthrob, heartbeat, LUB-DUB, oscillation, palpitation(s), palpitating, pounding, pulse, pulsation, pulsating, pounding, pumping, quiver, quivering, racing/throbbing heart, rapid pulse, rhythm, reverberation, reverberating, thudding, throb, throbbing, thump, thumping, thrum, thrumming, undulation, vibration, vibrating

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SMUGGLE OWAD into an English conversation, say something like:

“Can you hear the LUB-DUB of your heart when you exercise?”

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