Definition of PANTOMIME

pantomime

Meanings

Plural: pantomimes

Noun

  • a performance using gestures and body movements without words
  • A Classical comic actor, especially one who works mainly through gesture and mime.
  • The drama in ancient Greece and Rome featuring such performers; or (later) any of various kinds of performance modelled on such work.
  • 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.
  • The act of gesturing without speaking; a dumb-show, a mime.

Verb

  • act out without words but with gestures and bodily movements only
  • To make (a gesture) without speaking.
  • To entertain others by silent gestures or actions.

Origin / 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.

Synonyms

dumb show, mime

Scrabble Score: 15

pantomime is a valid Scrabble (US) TWL word
pantomime is a valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
pantomime is a valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 19

pantomime is a valid Words With Friends word