tarantism
UK /ˈtæɹəntɪzm/ · US /ˈtæɹənˌtɪzm/ noun
Forms tarantisms tarentism
- noun An extreme urge to dance, popularly thought to have been caused by the bite of a tarantula (Lycosa tarantula) and prevalent in southern Italy in the 15th through 17th centuries.
Synonyms
Etymology
From New Latin tarantismus + English -ism (suffix forming nouns of action, process, or result), from Old Italian Taranto (“seaport in southern Italy”) + Latin -ismus (“-ism”); see further at tarantula. The English word is cognate with French tarentisme, Italian tarantismo.
Webster’s 1913
- noun A nervous affection producing melancholy, stupor, and an uncontrollable desire to dance. It was supposed to be produced by the bite of the tarantula, and considered to be incapable of cure except by protraced dancing to appropriate music. [Written also tarentism.]
Etymology [It. tarantismo: cf. F. tarentisme. See Tarantula.]
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “tarantism”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details