pantomime
Meanings
noun
- A Classical comic actor, especially one who works mainly through gesture and mime.
- 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.
- The act of gesturing without speaking; a dumb-show, a mime.
verb
- To make (a gesture) without speaking.
- To entertain others by silent gestures or actions.
Pronunciation
Word forms
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.
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