Taranto
/təˈræntoʊ/noun
A city and seaport in Apulia, southern Italy, on the Gulf of Taranto.
Did you know?Ancient Greek tradition connected Taranto with Taras, a son of Poseidon, while the city later gave its name to tarantism and the tarantula through medieval beliefs about spider bites.
Etymological Timeline
Pre-Roman period
Messapic/Pre-Greek
*Taras
“A probable earlier place-name or river-name; its ultimate origin is uncertain.”
706 BCE
Ancient Greek
Τάρας (Táras)
“The Greek name of the city, traditionally linked to Taras, a son of Poseidon and the city's mythic founder.”
Classical Greek
Ancient Greek
Τάραντας (Tárantas)
“A Greek form associated with the colony and its surrounding territory.”
Roman period
Latin
Tarentum
“The Roman name for the Greek city.”
Medieval Latin/Italian
Italian
Taranto
“The evolving Italian form of the ancient place-name.”
Modern English
English
Taranto
“The modern English name for the Italian city and gulf.”
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