Miming

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /ˈmaɪmɪŋ/

Definitions

1. The practice of conveying messages or narratives solely through physical gestures rather than spoken language
2. A form of artistic expression where ideas are communicated non-verbally by imitating actions through body movement and expressions
3. The act of expressing thoughts or storytelling through silent imitation of actions and emotions using only bodily movements

Etymology: The verb "miming" is the -ing form of "mime", and the story behind "mime" starts with a stage performer rather than a silent gesture. In ancient Greece, a "mimos" was an imitator or actor, and the form of theatre it named was built on mockery and realistic copying of everyday life, not on silence. The Romans borrowed the word as "mimus" for their own farcical entertainers. English may have picked up an Old English form, "mīma", meaning a buffoon or jester, though that link is uncertain. The word that gives us the modern sense more likely came back into English much later, borrowed from French "mime" for a mimic actor. So the silent performance we now call miming is a relatively recent narrowing of an old word for an actor who copied others.

Synonyms: pantomiming, imitation