tarantella
/ˌtɛɹənˈtɛlə/
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.80 in modern English
10
Scrabble Score
10
Letters
3
Syllables
6
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A rapid dance in 6/8 time, originating in Italy, or a piece of music for such a dance.
Example Sentences
- "The set in which they found themselves was composed of English, and Amy was compelled to walk decorously through a cotillion, feeling all the while as if she could dance the tarantella with relish."
- ""A tarantella, I presume?" blandly suggested the doctor. Miss Mannersley stopped, and rose carelessly from the piano. "It is a Moorish gypsy song of the fifteenth century," she said dryly."
- "We learn to understand why our addled minds seize so little with precision, why they are caught up and tossed about in a kind of tarantella by headlines and catch-words, why so often they cannot tell things apart or discern identity in apparent differences."
Etymology
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: tarantella
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˌtɛɹənˈtɛlə/
- British English: /tæɹənˈtɛlə/