Gestural

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Associated with the movement of hands or body parts that signify concepts
2. Concerning the physical actions used to communicate ideas or emotions without words
3. Pertaining to movements of the body or hands used to convey meaning

Etymology: "Gestural" is a plain formation: the noun "gesture" with the adjective-forming suffix "-al" added to it. The noun "gesture" came into English from medieval Latin "gestura," a derivative of Latin "gestus," meaning bearing or movement of the body, and the Latin root traces back to "gerere," to carry or bear. The sense of "gesture" as a movement of the body that expresses something is what "gestural" carries forward, describing anything connected with such movements. The suffix itself has a long pedigree. It descends from Latin "-ālis," which Old French adapted into "-al" and "-el," and English took it over through Middle English. That same suffix sits behind countless English adjectives such as "national," "logical," and "central," so "gestural" follows an ordinary, well-worn pattern rather than a special coinage.

Synonyms: signaling, indicative, motion-based

Antonyms: verbal, spoken