pantomime
noun
- form of musical comedy stage production mostly performed during Christmas and New Year's
- communicate with gestures
verb
- communicate with gestures
Wiktionary
Pronunciation: /ˈpæn.təˌmʌɪm/ / /ˈpæn.təˌmaɪm/
noun
Etymology: First appears c. 1606, from Latin pantomīmus, from Ancient Greek παντόμιμος (pantómimos), from πᾶς (pâs, “each, all”) + μιμέομαι (miméomai, “to mimic”). The verbal form first appears c. 1768.
- A Classical comic actor, especially one who works mainly through gesture and mime.
“[He] saw a pantomime perform so well that he could follow the performance from the action alone.”
- The drama in ancient Greece and Rome featuring such performers; or (later) any of various kinds of performance modelled on such work.
- 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.
“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.”
“Wilson is no stranger to pantoland: “I have fun memories of seeing pantomimes in Australia when I was a kid. They were on at our local Returned and Services League club – my relatives fought in the wars. My mum also said that when I was two, she took me to my first pantomime in Sydney.”
- The act of gesturing without speaking; a dumb-show, a mime.
“A staid, steadfast man, whose life for the most part was a telling pantomime of action, and not a tame chapter of sounds.”
“In pantomime, Chief Joyi would fling his spear and creep along the veld as he narrated the victories and defeats.”
verb
Etymology: First appears c. 1606, from Latin pantomīmus, from Ancient Greek παντόμιμος (pantómimos), from πᾶς (pâs, “each, all”) + μιμέομαι (miméomai, “to mimic”). The verbal form first appears c. 1768.
- To make (a gesture) without speaking.
“I pantomimed steering a car; he understood, and tossed the keys to me.”
- To entertain others by silent gestures or actions.