gesture
Etymology
This text is extracted from the Wiktionary and it is available under the CC BY-SA 3.0 license | Terms and conditions | Privacy policy 0.002
Etymology
From Medieval Latin gestūra, from Latin gerō, past participle gestus.
Pronunciation Noungesture (plural gestures)
- A motion of the limbs or body, especially one made to emphasize speech.
- The middle-finger gesture is really a nonverbal swear.
- 1667, John Milton, “Book VII”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC ↗; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC ↗:
- Grace was in all her steps, heaven in her eye, / In every gesture dignity and love.
- An act or a remark that serves as a formality or as a sign of attitude.
- We took flowers as a gesture of sympathy.
- (GUI) A motion made with a pointing device, or on a touchscreen, that is recognised by the system as a command.
- This Web browser can be controlled with mouse gestures.
- (obsolete) The manner of carrying the body; position of the body or limbs; posture.
- 1650, Thomas Browne, Pseudodoxia Epidemica: […], 2nd edition, London: […] A[braham] Miller, for Edw[ard] Dod and Nath[aniel] Ekins, […], →OCLC ↗:
- Accubation, or lying down at meals, was a gesture used by very many nations.
- French: geste, signe
- German: Geste, Gebärde
- Italian: gesto
- Portuguese: gesto, sinal
- Russian: жест
- Spanish: gesto, ademán
gesture (gestures, present participle gesturing; simple past and past participle gestured)
- (intransitive) To make a gesture or gestures.
- My dad told me never to gesture with my hands when I talk.
- Never gesture at someone using your middle finger: it may be perceived as an insult.
- (transitive) To express (something) by a gesture or gestures.
- He gestured his disgust.
- (transitive) To accompany or illustrate with gesture or action.
- 1594–1597, Richard Hooker, edited by J[ohn] S[penser], Of the Lawes of Ecclesiastical Politie, […], London: […] Will[iam] Stansby [for Matthew Lownes], published 1611, →OCLC ↗, (please specify the page):
- It is not orderly read, nor gestured as beseemeth.
- (transitive) To express or signal (to someone) by a gesture or gestures (to do something, go somewhere, etc).
- 1915, Booth Tarkington, Wednesday Madness, in The Cosmopolitan, page 61:
- […] she sweepingly gestured him to the pillory — a chair upon the platform, facing the school. Here he suffered for the unusual term of an hour, with many jocular and cunning eyes constantly upon him; and, when he was released at noon, horrid shouts […] }}
- 1915, Booth Tarkington, Wednesday Madness, in The Cosmopolitan, page 61:
- ((intransitive) make a gesture) gesticulate
- German: gestikulieren
- Portuguese: gesticular
- Russian: жестикули́ровать
- Portuguese: gesticular
This text is extracted from the Wiktionary and it is available under the CC BY-SA 3.0 license | Terms and conditions | Privacy policy 0.002
