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.
pantomime
- in ancient Rome
- an actor who played his part by gestures and action without words
- a drama played in action and gestures to the accompaniment of music or of words sung by a chorus
- any dramatic presentation played without words, using only action and gestures
- 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
, -·mimed·, -·mim·ing
to express or act in 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·mimesverb
, 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 pantom&imacron;mus, a pantomimic actor, from Greek pantom&imacron;mos : panto-, all (from pas, pant-; see pan–) + m&imacron;mos, mime.Related Forms:
- pan′to·mim′ic
adjective
- pan′to·mim′ist
noun
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.]
Verb
(third-person singular simple present pantomimes, present participle pantomiming, simple past and past participle pantomimed)
Origin
Circa 17th century, from Latin pantomīmus, from Ancient Greek παντόμιμος (pantomimos), from πᾶς (pas, “each, all”) + μιμέομαι (mimeomai, “I mimic”).
