pantomime

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈpæn.təˌmʌɪm/ (UK); /ˈpæn.təˌmaɪm/ (US)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin pantomīmus (“mime, dancer”),^{[2][3][4][5][6]} partly through French pantomime,^[3][6] from Ancient Greek παντόμιμος (pantómīmos, “imitator of all”),^{[2][3][4][6][7]} from παντο- (panto-) “all” (see pan-) and μῖμος (mîmos) “imitator” (see mime).^[2][3][4][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

A Roman actor who performed in dumb show, representing characters by mimicry (1589, in the Latin plural pantomimi).^[8][3][5][4]

Semantic evolution

Pantomime was Rome's own contribution to the theatre: a single masked actor danced all the roles without speaking, while a chorus sang the words.^[9][2][5] The sense “actor” is now archaic.^[4] By 1735 the word meant a dramatic entertainment in which performers expressed themselves by gesture to music,^[8][3][4] and from 1739 the English Christmas entertainment, said to have begun about 1717,^[4][8] which developed from Italian comedy with stock characters such as Clown, Pantaloon, Harlequin and Columbine.^[7] The modern “panto”, based on fairy tales with songs, topical jokes and slapstick, the dame and the principal boy, developed in the 19th century.^[7][6] The meaning “expressive gesture without speech” dates from 1791,^[8] and the verb from 1768.^[8][3][5][4]

Timeline

• 1589 – pantomimi, Roman mime actors.^[8][3][5]
• 1615 – pantomime, a mimic actor.^[3]
• before 1735 – a play without words.^[8][3]
• 1739 – the English Christmas pantomime.^[8][4]
• 1768 – verb, to express by gesture.^[8][3][5]
• 1791 – dumb show, gesture without speech.^[8]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. Communication by gesture and facial expression without words; dumb show.
2. A play, dance or other performance in which a story is told without words, by bodily movement and gesture.
3. An ancient Roman theatrical performance in which one actor played all the parts in gesture, accompanied by a chorus; also the actor himself.
4. A traditional British Christmas entertainment based on a fairy tale or nursery story, with songs, slapstick and stock characters.

Verb

1. To represent or express by pantomime.
2. To express oneself by gestures without speech.

Word family

• pantomimic
• pantomimically
• pantomimicry
• pantomimist
• panto

Related words

• dame
• dumb show
• mime
• mimic
• harlequin

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
5. ^ a b c d e f g Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
6. ^ a b c d Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
7. ^ a b c Cresswell, Julia (2021), Oxford Dictionary of Word Origins, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
8. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
9. ^ Hendrickson, Robert (2008), The Facts on File Encyclopedia of Word and Phrase Origins, 4th ed., New York: Facts on File