Noun: tarantism 'ter-un,ti-zum [N. Amer], 'ta-run,ti-zum [Brit]
- A nervous disorder characterized by an uncontrollable impulse to dance; popularly attributed to bite of the southern European tarantula or wolf spider
"Medieval accounts describe outbreaks of tarantism in southern Italy"
Derived forms: tarantisms
Type of: chorea
Encyclopedia: Tarantism