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 ).
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Mime
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verb (used without object)
9.
to play a part by mime or mimicry.
Origin:
1610–20; < Latin mīmus < Greek mîmos imitator, mime, akin to mīmeîsthai to copy, imitate
1610–20; < Latin mīmus < Greek mîmos imitator, mime, akin to mīmeîsthai to copy, imitate
Related forms
mim·er, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To mime
Collins
World English Dictionary
mime (maɪm) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n | |
| 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 |
| a. a comic performance depending for effect largely on exaggerated gesture and physical action | |
| b. an actor in such a performance | |
| —vb | |
| 5. | to express (an idea) in actions or gestures without speech |
| 6. | (of singers or musicians) to perform as if singing (a song) or playing (a piece of music) that is actually prerecorded |
| [Old English mīma, from Latin mīmus mimic actor, from Greek mimos imitator] | |
| 'mimer | |
| —n | |
| MIME | |
| —abbreviation for | |
| multipurpose internet mail extensions | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
mime
"a buffoon who practices gesticulations" [Johnson], c.1600, from Fr. mime, from L. mimus, from Gk. mimos "imitator, actor, buffoon," of unknown origin. The verb meaning "to act without words" is from 1610s; the transferred sense of "to imitate" is from 1733 (Gk. mimeisthai meant "to imitate"). Related:
mimed; miming.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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FOLDOC
American Heritage
Abbreviations & Acronyms
| MIME multipurpose Internet mail extensions |
The American Heritage® Abbreviations Dictionary, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Example sentences
Producers tried out a mime wearing an animatronic ape costume, but determined that they needed another approach.
Rust delivered an awkward mime full of curious hand gestures, which was greeted by lukewarm laughter and sideways glances.
Yet more surprising, the properties of these mirror neurons suggest that human language began in gesture and mime, not in speech.
We had a mime and a construction worker all there to see how on it they were.
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