Pantomime

//ˈpæn.təˌmaɪm// noun, verb

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A Classical comic actor, especially one who works mainly through gesture and mime. archaic, countable, uncountable

    "[He] saw a pantomime perform so well that he could follow the performance from the action alone."

  2. 2
    a performance using gestures and body movements without words wordnet
  3. 3
    The drama in ancient Greece and Rome featuring such performers; or (later) any of various kinds of performance modelled on such work. Ancient-Rome, countable, uncountable
  4. 4
    A traditional theatrical entertainment, originally based on the commedia dell'arte, but later aimed mostly at children and involving physical comedy, topical jokes, call and response, and fairy-tale plots. UK, countable, uncountable

    "With the Stoke supporters jeering Ziv's every subsequent touch, the pantomime atmosphere created by the home crowd reached a crescendo when Ziv was shown a straight red shortly after the break in extraordinary circumstances."

  5. 5
    The act of gesturing without speaking; a dumb-show, a mime. countable, uncountable

    "A staid, steadfast man, whose life for the most part was a telling pantomime of action, and not a tame chapter of sounds."

Verb
  1. 1
    To make (a gesture) without speaking. transitive

    "I pantomimed steering a car; he understood, and tossed the keys to me."

  2. 2
    act out without words but with gestures and bodily movements only wordnet
  3. 3
    To entertain others by silent gestures or actions. transitive

Etymology

Etymology 1

First appears c. 1606, from Latin pantomīmus, from Ancient Greek παντόμιμος (pantómimos), from πᾶς (pâs, “each, all”) + μιμέομαι (miméomai, “I mimic”). The verbal form first appears c. 1768.

Etymology 2

First appears c. 1606, from Latin pantomīmus, from Ancient Greek παντόμιμος (pantómimos), from πᾶς (pâs, “each, all”) + μιμέομαι (miméomai, “I mimic”). The verbal form first appears c. 1768.

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