PANTOMIME

mime, pantomime, dumb show

(noun) a performance using gestures and body movements without words

mime, pantomime

(verb) act out without words but with gestures and bodily movements only; “The acting students mimed eating an apple”

Source: WordNet® 3.1

Etymology

Noun

pantomime (countable and uncountable, 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, call and response, and fairy-tale plots. [from 18th c.]

Gesturing without speaking; dumb-show, mime. [from 18th c.]

Verb

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

(transitive) To make (a gesture) without speaking.

(transitive) To entertain others by silent gestures or actions.

Source: Wiktionary

Pan"to*mime, n. Etym: [F., fr. L. pantomimus, Gr. pantomimo. See Mimic.]

1. A universal mimic; an actor who assumes many parts; also, any actor. [Obs.]

2. One who acts his part by gesticulation or dumb show only, without speaking; a pantomimist. [He] saw a pantomime perform so well that he could follow the performance from the action alone. Tylor.

3. A dramatic representation by actors who use only dumb show; hence, dumb show, generally.

4. A dramatic and spectacular entertainment of which dumb acting as well as burlesque dialogue, music, and dancing by Clown, Harlequin, etc., are features.

Pan"to*mime, a.

Definition: Representing only in mute actions; pantomimic; as, a pantomime dance.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition