tarantella

[ tar-uhn-tel-uh ]

/ ˌtær ənˈtɛl ə /

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noun

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.

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

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

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Origin of tarantella

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

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH tarantella

tarantella , tarantula

Words nearby tarantella

Taranaki, Taranaki gate, Taranaki wind, tar and feather, tarantass, tarantella, Tarantino, tarantism, Taranto, tarantula, Tarantula nebula

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use tarantella in a sentence

The effect miraculous; danced Tarantella till the bandage came off and he fainted.
Tony Butler|Charles James Lever
She dances the Tarantella now—by-and-by she will dance to another tune!
Mr Punch's Pocket Ibsen - A Collection of Some of the Master's Best Known Dramas|F. Anstey
It was the famous tarantella dance which the people of Southern Italy love so much.
The Sunbonnet Babies in Italy|Eulalie Osgood Grover
Making an effort to stem it, she recalled her happiness with Maurice after that day of the Tarantella.
A Spirit in Prison|Robert Hichens

Her Sicilian and his tarantella, the tarantella of his joy in Sicily—they had gone away into the blue.
The Call of the Blood|Robert Smythe Hichens

British Dictionary definitions for tarantella

tarantella

/ (ˌtærənˈtɛlə) /

noun

a peasant dance from S Italy

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

Word Origin for tarantella

C18: from Italian, from Taranto Taranto; associated with tarantism

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012