mimus Latin · revision 32035

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=borrowing|attested=c. 180–102 BC, Lucilius|origins=grc μῖμος}}

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''mīmus''' ''m'' (genitive mīmī); second declension^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[bor|grc|μῖμος|tr=mîmos|t=imitator, actor]].^(OLD 2012)^(Lewis & Short 1879)^(Wiktionary)^(Köbler 2010) Etymonline calls the Greek word of unknown origin.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Köbler's first source is Lucilius;^(Köbler 2010) an old epitaph records Protogenes, a mime who gave the people much delight with his jests.^(OLD 2012)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ It is an actor in mimes, and the mime itself, a coarse kind of farce: Cicero speaks of a character from a mime, “now poor, suddenly rich”.^(OLD 2012)^(Lewis & Short 1879) Quintilian says the twisted face and gestures that make people laugh in mimes do not suit an orator.^(Lewis & Short 1879) Figuratively it is a sham or farce, as in the elder Seneca's “how well she played her part”.^(OLD 2012)

+

+ Church Latin glosses it “actor, mime, mimic”.^(Stelten 1995)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * c. 180–102 BC – Lucilius.^(Köbler 2010)

+ * 81–43 BC – Cicero of a character from a mime.^(OLD 2012)^(Köbler 2010)

+ * c. 35–95/96 AD – Quintilian of the gestures of mimes.^(Lewis & Short 1879)^(Köbler 2010)

+ * c. 1600 – Borrowed into English as [[m|en|mime]], partly through French.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Noun===

+ # An actor in mimes, a [[m|en|mime]].^(OLD 2012)^(Lewis & Short 1879)^(Wiktionary)

+ # A mime, a coarse [[m|en|farce]].^(OLD 2012)^(Lewis & Short 1879)^(Wiktionary)

+ # A sham, pretence, farce.^(OLD 2012)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[archimimus]]

+ * [[mīma]]

+ * [[mīmārius]]

+ * [[mīmicus]]

+ * [[mimulus]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[en|mime]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}