Mummer

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈmʌm.ə(ɹ)/

Definitions

1. A performer who acts in a pantomime or theatrical production, often wearing a mask or costume and communicating through gestures and exaggerated movements rather than speech
2. An actor who wears a disguise to perform silently or with gestures ; a person involved in traditional folk dramas, often performed at festivals or holidays
3. Someone who entertains by wearing a mask and using expressive body language instead of spoken words ; a player in customary seasonal plays rooted in local culture

Etymology: Medieval English speakers may have blended two ideas into one term. The word likely combines "mum," meaning silent, with the agent suffix "-er," describing someone who keeps quiet or speaks indistinctly. It may also have picked up influence from Old French "momeor," meaning jester or entertainer, which came from "mommer," to wear a mask, and "momon," meaning mask. The mask connection is the stronger thread. Related forms appear across Germanic and Romance languages: German "Mumme" for mask, Middle Dutch "mommen" to go about in a mask, and Spanish "momo," meaning grimace. Some etymologists suspect that the ideas of mumbling and masking grew from one shared ultimate root, though this remains uncertain.

Synonyms: actor, performer, masquerader