Tarantism

Tarantism
A dancing mania or malady of 15th to 17th century Europe. This extraordinary affliction was associated with melancholy, stupor, and an uncontrollable desire to dance. It was thought to result from the bite of the tarantula spider. Dancing off the tarantula venom was the only cure. The term "tarantism" came from the town of Taranto in southern Italy. Taranto was the home of the dancing malady. The large and very venomous tarantula is also named for the city of Taranto.
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A form of mass hysteria which originated in Taranto, Italy, in the late Middle Ages as a dancing mania to cure the madness allegedly caused by the bite of a tarantula.

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tar·an·tism 'tar-ən-.tiz-əm n a dancing mania or malady of late medieval Europe popularly regarded as being caused by the bite of the European tarantula (Lycosa tarentula)

Medical dictionary. 2011.

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  • Tarantism — is an alleged, possibly deadly envenomation, popularly believed to result from the bite of a kind of wolf spider called a tarantula ( Lycosa tarentula ). (These spiders are different from the broad class of spiders called Tarantulas .) The… …   Wikipedia

  • tarantism — tarantísm s. n. Trimis de siveco, 10.08.2004. Sursa: Dicţionar ortografic  TARANTÍSM s.n. (med.) Manifestare isterică convulsivă, atribuită muşcăturii de păianjen. [< it. tarantismo]. Trimis de LauraGellner, 13.09.2007. Sursa: DN  TARANTÍSM… …   Dicționar Român

  • Tarantism — Tar ant*ism, n. [It. tarantismo: cf. F. tarentisme. See {Tarantula}.] (Med.) 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… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • tarantism — [tar′ən tiz΄əm] n. [It tarantismo: because formerly epidemic in the vicinity of TARANTO; pop. assoc. with the tarantula, by whose bite it was erroneously said to be caused] a nervous disease characterized by hysteria and popularly believed to be… …   English World dictionary

  • Tarantism (album) — Infobox Album Name = Tarantism Type = Studio album Artist = Tito Tarantula Released = 1997 Recorded = NRG, Coney Island, Jackson Browne s, Tito s, Sonora, One On One Genre = Length = 45:36 Label = Cockroach Records Producer = Tito Larriva Robert… …   Wikipedia

  • tarantism — noun Etymology: New Latin tarantismus, from Taranto, Italy Date: circa 1656 a dancing mania or malady of late medieval Europe …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • tarantism — tarantist, n. /tar euhn tiz euhm/, n. a mania characterized by an uncontrollable impulse to dance, esp. as prevalent in southern Italy from the 15th to the 17th century, popularly attributed to the bite of the tarantula. Also, tarentism. Cf.… …   Universalium

  • tarantism — n. disorder characterized by an unnatural desire to dance and thought to be caused by a tarantula s bite (prevalent in Italy during the 15th and 17th centuries) …   English contemporary dictionary

  • tarantism — [ tar(ə)nˌtɪz(ə)m] noun a psychological illness characterized by an extreme impulse to dance, prevalent in southern Italy from the 15th to the 17th centuries and formerly believed to be caused by the bite of a tarantula. Origin C17: from Ital.… …   English new terms dictionary

  • tarantism — tar·an·tism …   English syllables

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