pantomime

pan·to·mime

Use pantomime in a sentence

A pantomime making a gesture.

noun

Pantomime is a specific type of entertainment where people make elaborate gestures without words to express themselves.

An example of pantomime is an actor knocking into the air, pretending to be knocking on a door.

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"pantomime." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 21 September 2018. <http://www.yourdictionary.com/Pantomime>.

APA Style

pantomime. (n.d.). Retrieved September 21st, 2018, from http://www.yourdictionary.com/Pantomime

pantomime

in ancient Rome
1. an actor who played his part by gestures and action without words
2. a drama played in action and gestures to the accompaniment of music or of words sung by a chorus
1. any dramatic presentation played without words, using only action and gestures
2. the art of acting in this way
action or gestures without words as a means of expression
in England, a type of entertainment presented at Christmastime, ending in a harlequinade

Origin of pantomime

Classical Latin pantomimus from Classical Greek pantomimos from pantos (see panto-) + mimos, a mimic, actor

of or like pantomime

transitive verb

intransitive verb

-·mimed·, -·mim·ing

to express or act in pantomime

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MLA Style

"pantomime." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 21 September 2018. <http://www.yourdictionary.com/Pantomime>.

APA Style

pantomime. (n.d.). Retrieved September 21st, 2018, from http://www.yourdictionary.com/Pantomime

pantomime

noun

Communication by means of gesture and facial expression: Some tourists make themselves understood abroad by pantomime.
a. The telling of a story without words, by means of bodily movements, gestures, and facial expressions.
b. A play, dance, or other theatrical performance characterized by such wordless storytelling.
c. An ancient Roman theatrical performance in which one actor played all the parts by means of gesture and movement, accompanied by a narrative chorus.
d. A player in such a performance.
A traditional British Christmas entertainment for children, usually based on nursery tales and featuring stock characters in costume who sing, dance, and perform skits.

verb

pan·to·mimed, pan·to·mim·ing, pan·to·mimes

verb

transitive

To represent or express by pantomime: pantomime a story on the stage; pantomimed “baby” by cradling an imaginary infant.

verb

intransitive

To express oneself in pantomime.

Origin of pantomime

Latin pantomīmus a pantomimic actor from Greek pantomīmos panto- all ( from pās pant-; see pan- . ) mīmos mime

Related Forms:

pan′to·mim′ic
adjective

pan′to·mim′ist
noun

THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Link/Cite

Link to this page

Cite this page

MLA Style

"pantomime." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 21 September 2018. <http://www.yourdictionary.com/Pantomime>.

APA Style

pantomime. (n.d.). Retrieved September 21st, 2018, from http://www.yourdictionary.com/Pantomime

Noun

(plural pantomimes)

(now rare) A Classical comic actor, especially one who works mainly through gesture and mime. [from 17th c.]
(historical) The drama in ancient Greece and Rome featuring such performers; or (later) any of various kinds of performance modelled on such work. [from 17th c.]
(UK) A traditional theatrical entertainment, originally based on the commedia dell'arte, but later aimed mostly at children and involving physical comedy, topical jokes, and fairy-tale plots. [from 18th c.]
Gesturing without speaking; dumb-show, mime. [from 18th c.]

Related terms

dumb show
mime
pantomimical

Verb

(third-person singular simple present pantomimes, present participle pantomiming, simple past and past participle pantomimed)

To gesture without speaking.
To entertain others by silent gestures or actions.

Origin

Circa 17th century, from Latin pantomīmus, from Ancient Greek παντόμιμος (pantomimos), from πᾶς (pas, “each, all”) + μιμέομαι (mimeomai, “I mimic”).

English Wiktionary. Available under CC-BY-SA license.