gesticulation

[ je-stik-yuh-ley-shuhn ]
See synonyms for gesticulation on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. the act of gesticulating.

  2. an animated or excited gesture.

Origin of gesticulation

1
First recorded in 1595–1605, gesticulation is from the Latin word gesticulātiōn- (stem of gesticulātiō). See gesticulate, -ion

Other words from gesticulation

  • o·ver·ges·tic·u·la·tion, noun

Words Nearby gesticulation

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use gesticulation in a sentence

  • By the time Harjo was on Winfrey’s show, the mass gesticulation had infested Atlanta’s Major League Baseball stadium, where the home team, decorated in native imagery, was hosting the World Series in Atlanta before a national audience.

  • His gestures were slow, sober, and rare; for he held southern gesticulation in horror.

    Charles Baudelaire, His Life | Thophile Gautier
  • If gesticulation be also a means of expressing character, as in ballets, this is only a secondary means.

  • When he drew near the headmost vessel, he began to utter an earnest address, accompanied with violent gesticulation.

    The Indian in his Wigwam | Henry R. Schoolcraft
  • Karlsefin, therefore, tried his hand at a little gesticulation, while the natives gazed at him with speechless interest.

    The Norsemen in the West | R.M. Ballantyne

British Dictionary definitions for gesticulation

gesticulation

/ (dʒɛˌstɪkjʊˈleɪʃən) /


noun
  1. the act of gesticulating

  2. an animated or expressive gesture

Derived forms of gesticulation

  • gesticulatory, adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012