tarantella Meaning, Definition & Usage
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noun music composed in six-eight time for dancing the tarantella
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noun a lively whirling Italian dance for two persons
tarantelle.
WordNet
Tar`an*tel"la noun
Etymology
It.Definitions
(Mus.) (a) A rapid and delirious sort of Neapolitan dance in 6-8 time, which moves in whirling triplets; -- so called from a popular notion of its being a remedy against the poisonous bite of the tarantula. Some derive its name from Taranto in Apulia. (b) Music suited to such a dance.
