Tarantella

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A lively and rapid dance originating from Southern Italy, characterized by 6/8 time and often performed to a lively musical accompaniment
2. A traditional Italian folk dance, typically featuring quick footwork and exuberant movements, often associated with celebratory events
3. A dynamic dance form linked to Italian culture, frequently performed as a representation of joyous occasions, with a rhythmic tempo that invites energetic participation

Etymology: The name seems to point at spiders, but the dance is named after a place. "Tarantella" is a diminutive of Taranto, the port town in southern Italy, yet it became popularly linked with "tarantola," the Italian word for tarantula. The link came from a belief that the dance was either the result of a tarantula's bite or a cure for it, a notion that gave the dance a healing purpose in folk thinking. The tie to the spider is folk association rather than true descent. The Italian word was built from the town's name, and English borrowed it from Italian in that form. The spider story stuck anyway, and it explains why the dance is so often described as frantic: the supposed venom was thought to make the victim dance until the poison sweated out.

Synonyms: dance, folk dance