pantomime

Meaning

Noun

1. (archaic, countable, uncountable) A Classical comic actor, especially one who works mainly through gesture and mime.
2. (countable, historical, uncountable) The drama in ancient Greece and Rome featuring such performers; or (later) any of various kinds of performance modelled on such work.
3. (UK, countable, uncountable) 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.
4. (countable, uncountable) The act of gesturing without speaking; a dumb-show, a mime.

Verb

1. (transitive) To make (a gesture) without speaking.
2. (transitive) To entertain others by silent gestures or actions.

Synonyms

mime

dumb show

mummery

sign language

farce

gesticulate

gesticulation

harlequinade

pantomimist

silence

taciturnity

fairy play

without giving notice

refusing explanation

dancing

mimcry

panto

act

mummer’s play

acting

charade

dance

💃

Translations

Pantomime

pantomima

pantomima

pantomime

pantomima

pantomime

gebarenkunst

pantomime spelen

παντομίμα

pantomima

pantomimisieren

Märchenspiel

Gebärdenspiel

mimica

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈpæn.təˌmʌɪm/

Etymology

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.