gesture

English

Etymology

From Medieval Latin gestura (“a mode of action”), from Latin gerere (“to bear, reflexive bear oneself, behave, act”), past participle gestus.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈd͡ʒest͡ʃə/, /ˈdʒɛs.tʃə(ɹ)/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈdʒɛs.tʃɚ/, /ˈdʒɛs.tʃɝ/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Noun

gesture (plural gestures)

1. A motion of the limbs or body, especially one made to emphasize speech.

   The middle-finger gesture is really a nonverbal swear.

   This Web browser can be controlled with mouse gestures.

   • Milton

     Grace was in all her steps, heaven in her eye, / In every gesture dignity and love.

2. An act or a remark made as a formality or as a sign of attitude.

   We took flowers as a gesture of sympathy.

   • 1922, Michael Arlen, “2/4/1”, in “Piracy”: A Romantic Chronicle of These Days^[1]:

     But, with a gesture, she put a period to this dalliance—one shouldn't palter so on an empty stomach, she might almost have said.

3. (obsolete) The manner of carrying the body; position of the body or limbs; posture.
   • Sir Thomas Browne

     Accubation, or lying down at meals, was a gesture used by many nations.

Related terms

• countergesture
• gesticulate
• gesticulation
• gesticulative
• gestural
• gestureless
• gesturelike

Translations

motion of the limbs or body

• American Sign Language: FlatB@InsideChesthigh-FlatB@InsideChesthigh CirclesMidline-CirclesMidline
• Arabic: لفتَة، لمحَة
• Armenian: շարժում (hy) (šaržum), ժեստ (hy) (žest)
• Bulgarian: жест (bg) m (žest)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 手勢 (zh), 手势 (zh) (shǒushì), 姿勢 (zh), 姿势 (zh) (zīshì)

• Czech: gesto n
• Dutch: gebaar (nl) n
• Finnish: ele (fi), liike (fi)
• French: geste (fr) m, signe (fr)
• German: Geste (de) f, Gebärde (de) f, Attitüde (de) f
• Hebrew: מחווה \ מֶחֱוָה f (mekhvá)
• Italian: gesto (it)

• Latvian: žests m
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: gest m

  Nynorsk: gest m

• Persian: ژست (fa) (žest)
• Portuguese: gesto (pt) m, sinal (pt)
• Romanian: gest (ro) n
• Russian: жест (ru) m (žest), телодвиже́ние (ru) n (telodvižénije)
• Scottish Gaelic: gluasad m
• Slovak: gesto (sk) n
• Spanish: gesto (es) m, ademán (es)
• Swedish: gest (sv) c
• Turkish: işaret (tr), jest (tr), (medicine) gesture (tr), el kol hareketi, baş hareketi, el hareketi, kol hareketi

act or remark

• Armenian: ժեստ (hy) (žest)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 表示 (zh) (biǎoshì)

• Czech: gesto n
• Dutch: gebaar (nl) n
• Finnish: ele (fi), ilmaus (fi)
• French: geste (fr) m
• German: Geste (de) f
• Hebrew: גֶ׳סְטָה f (jes'tá) (colloquial)

• Latvian: žests m
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: gest m

  Nynorsk: gest m

• Portuguese: gesto (pt) m
• Russian: жест (ru) m (žest), посту́пок (ru) m (postúpok)
• Slovak: gesto (sk) n
• Spanish: gesto (es) m

Verb

gesture (third-person singular simple present gestures, present participle gesturing, simple past and past participle gestured)

1. (intransitive) To make a gesture or gestures.

   My dad said to never gesture with my hands when I talk.

   Never gesture at someone with a middle finger.

2. (transitive) To express something by a gesture or gestures.

   He gestured his disgust.

3. (transitive) To accompany or illustrate with gesture or action.
   • Hooker

     It is not orderly read, nor gestured as beseemeth.

Synonyms

• ((intransitive) make a gesture): gesticulate

Hyponyms

• ((intransitive) make a gesture): beckon

Translations

(intransitive) to make a gesture

• American Sign Language: FlatB@InsideChesthigh-FlatB@InsideChesthigh CirclesMidline-CirclesMidline
• Bulgarian: жестикулирам (bg) (žestikuliram)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 做手势, 做手勢 (zuò shǒushì)

• Finnish: elehtiä
• German: gestikulieren (de)

• Maori: tuone, ohaoha
• Portuguese: gesticular (pt)
• Russian: жестикули́ровать (ru) impf (žestikulírovatʹ)
• Slovak: gestikulovať
• Swedish: gestikulera (sv)

(transitive) to express something by a gesture

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 表示 (zh) (biǎoshì)

• Dutch: gebaren (nl)
• Finnish: elehtiä

• German: (jemandem etwas) bedeuten
• Maori: whakapuwheto (to show contempt)
• Portuguese: gesticular (pt)
• Swedish: gestikulera (sv)

See also

• Appendix:Gestures

Further reading

• gesture in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
• gesture in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911

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Latin

Participle

gestūre

1. vocative masculine singular of gestūrus