Gestured

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To have made a physical movement that serves as a signal or message
2. To have indicated an idea or direction through movement of the body parts, particularly hands; to have used non-verbal actions to denote feelings or intentions in communication; to have signaled or expressed something through purposeful body motions rather than verbal expression
3. Performed a deliberate movement of the hands or body to convey meaning without words

Etymology: "Gestured" is the past tense of "gesture," which comes from Medieval Latin "gestura," a noun built on Latin "gestus," meaning bearing, posture, or movement of the body. "Gestus" is the past participle of "gerere," "to carry, bear, or conduct oneself," a verb that also gave English words such as "gesture" itself, "belligerent" and "suggest" through its relatives. The original sense was about bearing and conduct rather than hand signals. Over time the noun narrowed. Its earliest English uses were tied to behaviour and deportment, and the modern sense of meaningful body movement, especially with the hands, developed later as the word came to describe the physical signs that accompany or replace speech. The verb "gesture" followed from that noun, and "gestured" is its simple past form, describing a person who has already made such a movement to convey an idea, direction, or feeling.

Synonyms: signaled, motioned, indicated, beckoned, signified