Associations to the word «Tarantism»

Wiktionary

TARANTISM, noun. (obsolete) (medicine) An extreme urge to dance, popularly thought to have been caused by the bite of a tarantula and prevalent in southern Italy in the 15th through 17th centuries.

Dictionary definition

TARANTISM, noun. A nervous disorder characterized by an uncontrollable impulse to dance; popularly attributed to bite of the southern European tarantula or wolf spider.

Wise words

The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug.
Mark Twain