mimique

Forms

mimique (plural mimiques)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin mimicus (“of a mime, worthy of a mime”),^[2][3][4] which is from Ancient Greek μιμικός (mimikós, “of the mimes”).^[2][5][3] The Latin word is from mimus (“mime”),^[4] and the Greek one from μῖμος (mîmos).^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Gentian Hervet's translation of the City of God (1585) has it as an adjective meaning “relating to the mimes”, the actors of ancient farce.^[2][5] The Grand Robert, the Petit Robert and the GLLF date this first record of Hervet to 1570.^[6][7][3]

Semantic evolution

The adjective was rare in its antiquarian sense and was taken up again in the 19th century, when wordless drama came back into favour, with the sense “expressing by gestures” (1823, Chateaubriand).^[2][5] As a noun, la mimique was the art of imitating actions and gestures on the stage (1824, Raymond's supplement to the Académie dictionary); the Académie's supplement of 1842 has the line La mimique est une langue à part.^[2] By extension it came to mean the gestures and facial expressions that accompany or replace speech (1868).^[5][3]

Timeline

• 1585 – Gentian Hervet uses the adjective for what relates to mimes.^[2][5]
• 1823 – Chateaubriand uses it for what expresses by gesture.^[2]
• 1824 – Raymond's dictionary records the noun for the art of stage mimicry.^[2][8]
• 1828 – Mozin's dictionary records the noun.^[3][8]
• 1842 – The Académie's supplement records the noun.^[2][8]
• 1868 – The sense “expressive gestures and facial play” appears.^[5][3]

Meanings

Adjective

1. (rare) Relating to mime, the ancient dramatic genre.^[2][3][4]
2. (didactic) Expressing by gestures and facial expressions: langage mimique.^[7][3][4]

Noun

1. (didactic) The art of expressing or imitating by gesture, the action of miming.^[7][3]
2. The expressive gestures and facial expressions that go with or replace speech: Il répondit par une mimique gênée.^[7][3][1]

Related words

• mime
• mimer
• mimétique
• Latin mimicus
• Ancient Greek μιμικός (mimikós)

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
4. ^ a b c d Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
5. ^ a b c d e f Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
6. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
7. ^ a b c d Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
8. ^ a b c Quemada, Bernard, ed. (1959–2006), Datations et documents lexicographiques (Base historique du vocabulaire français, BHVF), Paris: Klincksieck / CNRS / Champion; ATILF