gesture
pronunciation
How to pronounce gesture in British English:
UK [ˈdʒestʃə(r)]
How to pronounce gesture in American English:
US [ˈdʒestʃər]
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- Noun:
- motion of hands or body to emphasize or help to express a thought or feeling
- the use of movements (especially of the hands) to communicate familiar or prearranged signals
- something done as an indication of intention
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- Verb:
- show, express or direct through movement
Word Origin
- gesture
- gesture: [15] Originally, a person’s gesture was their ‘bearing’, the way they ‘carried’ themselves: ‘He was a knight of yours full true, and comely of gesture’, Sir Cleges 1410. But by the 16th century it was well on its way via ‘bodily movement’ to ‘bodily movement conveying a particular message’. The word came from medieval Latin gestūra, a derivative of Latin gerere ‘carry, conduct oneself, act’. A parallel derivative was gestus ‘action’ (ultimate source of English jest and jester), whose diminutive gesticulus produced English gesticulate [17].=> gestation, gesticulate, jest, jester
- gesture (n.)
- early 15c., "manner of carrying the body," from Medieval Latin gestura "bearing, behavior, mode of action," from Latin gestus "gesture, carriage, posture" (see gest). Restricted sense of "a movement of the body or a part of it, intended to express a thought or feeling," is from 1550s; figurative sense of "action undertaken in good will to express feeling" is from 1916.
- gesture (v.)
- 1540s, from gesture (n.). Related: Gestured; gesturing.
Example
- 1. The gesture remains largely symbolic for gsk , however .
- 2. Obama will likely be glad he made the gesture .
- 3. But already as he spoke sir charles realized that he 'd misunderstood the gesture .
- 4. Asked where they were going one tugged at an imaginary beard , and made a throat-cutting gesture .
- 5. Such an antagonistic gesture is unlikely .