[ '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. ~o , from the name of the Italian seaport Taranto , after which the tarantula is also named.