Dictionary.com

tarantella

[ tar-uhn-tel-uh ]
/ ˌtær ənˈtɛl ə /
Save This Word!

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…

Origin of tarantella

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

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH tarantella

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

How to use tarantella in a sentence

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
FEEDBACK