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mime

[mahym, meem]
noun
  1. the art or technique of portraying a character, mood, idea, or narration by gestures and bodily movements; pantomime.
  2. an actor who specializes in this art.
  3. an ancient Greek or Roman farce that depended for effect largely upon ludicrous actions and gestures.
  4. a player in such a farce.
  5. mimic(def 4).
  6. a jester, clown, or comedian.
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verb (used with object), mimed, mim·ing.
  1. to mimic.
  2. to act in mime.
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verb (used without object), mimed, mim·ing.
  1. to play a part by mime or mimicry.
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Origin of mime

1610–20; < Latin mīmus < Greek mîmos imitator, mime, akin to mīmeîsthai to copy, imitate
Related formsmim·er, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

comedianpantomimeimpersonatormimicimitatorpantomimistcaricaturemimicryimitationmockeryimitatepretendimpersonaterepresentfarceclownbuffooncopyape

Examples from the Web for miming

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • "Papa sails tomorrow," said someone, miming her desperate tones.

    My Shipmate--Columbus

    Stephen Wilder

  • Sammy raised his eyebrows and spread out his hands, miming What happens now?

    Makers

    Cory Doctorow

  • The entire corps vibrated with life, did their full share in the dancing and miming.

  • He compelled the old man to run through his paces, as Holloway criticized each study in miming.

    The Voice on the Wire

    Eustace Hale Ball

  • Now the miming of ordinary ballet-dancers has often in the past seemed to be more than a little ridiculous.

British Dictionary definitions for miming

MIME

abbreviation for
  1. multipurpose internet mail extensions
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mime

noun
  1. the theatrical technique of expressing an idea or mood or portraying a character entirely by gesture and bodily movement without the use of words
  2. Also called: mime artist a performer specializing in such a technique, esp a comic actor
  3. a dramatic presentation using such a technique
  4. (in the classical theatre)
    1. a comic performance depending for effect largely on exaggerated gesture and physical action
    2. an actor in such a performance
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verb
  1. to express (an idea) in actions or gestures without speech
  2. (of singers or musicians) to perform as if singing (a song) or playing (a piece of music) that is actually prerecorded
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Derived Formsmimer, noun

Word Origin

Old English mīma, from Latin mīmus mimic actor, from Greek mimos imitator
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

Word Origin and History for miming

mime

n.

c.1600, "a buffoon who practices gesticulations" [Johnson], from French mime (16c.) and directly from Latin mimus, from Greek mimos "imitator, mimic, actor, mime, buffoon," of unknown origin. In reference to a performance, 1640s in a classical context; 1932 as "a pantomime."

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mime

v.

1610s, "to act without words," from mime (n.). The transferred sense of "to imitate" is from 1733 (Greek mimeisthai meant "to imitate"). Meaning "to pretend to be singing a pre-recorded song" is from 1965. Related: mimed; miming.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper