pantomime

English

Wikipedia

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA: /ˈpantəˌmʌɪm/

Noun

pantomime (plural pantomimes)

1. (now rare) A Classical comic actor, especially one who works mainly through gesture and mime. [from 17th c.]
2. (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.]
3. (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.]
4. Gesturing without speaking; dumb-show, mime. [from 18th c.]
   • 1994, Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom, Abacus 2010, p. 26:

     In pantomime, Chief Joyi would fling his spear and creep along the veld as he narrated the victories and defeats.

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   • 2011 October 20, Michael da Silva, “Stoke 3 - 0 Macc Tel-Aviv”, BBC Sport:

     With the Stoke supporters jeering Ziv's every subsequent touch, the pantomime atmosphere created by the home crowd reached a crescendo when Ziv was shown a straight red shortly after the break in extraordinary circumstances.

Derived terms

• panto

Related terms

• dumb show
• mime
• pantomimical

See also

• sign language

Translations

A traditional Christmas entertainment, mostly for children

gesturing without speaking

Czech: pantomima (cs) f. German: Pantomime (de) f.

Icelandic: látbragðsleikur (is) m. Russian: пантомима (ru) (pantomíma) f.

See also

• dumb show

Verb

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

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

Translations

to gesture without speaking

to entertain others by gestures or actions

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Translations to be checked

German: pantomimisieren

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Italian

Noun

pantomime f.

1. Plural form of pantomima.

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Latin

Noun

pantomīme

1. vocative singular of pantomīmus