tarantella

American  

[tar-uhn-tel-uh] / ˌtær ənˈtɛl ə /

noun

1. a rapid, whirling southern Italian dance in very quick sextuple, originally quadruple, meter, usually performed by a single couple, and formerly supposed to be a remedy for tarantism.

2. a piece of music either for the dance or in its rhythm.

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tarantella British  

/ ˌtærənˈtɛlə /

noun

1. a peasant dance from S Italy

2. a piece of music composed for or in the rhythm of this dance, in fast six-eight time

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Etymology

Origin of tarantella

1775–85; < Italian, equivalent to Tarant ( o ) Taranto + -ella -elle

Explanation

A quick, spirited Italian folk dance that involves much spinning and often the playing of tambourines is called the tarantella. If you have a creepy feeling that tarantella has something to do with spiders, your instincts are not too far off. A tarantella is not an eight-legged creature but is in fact a dance, or the music for it, in lively 6/8 time. It gets its name from the Italian port of Taranto, as does the tarantula. The words are united in an old folk belief that frenzied dancing was required to avoid death after a tarantula bite.

Example Sentences

Alarms ding every couple of minutes, accentuating the insanity of Donna's frenetic tarantella between her wine glass, a blazing stove, and a countertop stacked with pots and pans in use or used up.

From Salon • Jun. 29, 2023

Then I realized such a pose had been used by John Singer Sargent, of a woman dancing the tarantella in his moody masterpiece “El Jaleo.”

From Washington Post • Jun. 26, 2020

Around him, the kitchen was a tarantella of activity: Four cooks grilled racks of lamb, another rinsed lettuce and yet another arranged grilled vegetables on a platter.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 24, 2018

As Mr. de Magistris passed Kenmare Street, an accordion player materialized, trailing him with a wheezing tarantella.

From New York Times • Jun. 4, 2015

They pair up and then change partners, like a variation on the tarantella, the Italian dance of celebration.

From "A Heart in a Body in the World" by Deb Caletti