pantomime

Etymology

Circa 17th century, from Latin pantomīmus, from Ancient Greek παντόμιμος (pantómimos), from πᾶς (pâs, “each, all”) + μιμέομαι (miméomai, “I mimic”).

noun

1. (now rare) A Classical comic actor, especially one who works mainly through gesture and mime.
   [He] saw a pantomime perform so well that he could follow the performance from the action alone. 1865, Edward Burnett Tylor, Researches into the Early History of Mankind and the Development of Civilization
2. (historical) The drama in ancient Greece and Rome featuring such performers; or (later) any of various kinds of performance modelled on such work.
3. (UK) A traditional theatrical entertainment, originally based on the commedia dell'arte, but later aimed mostly at children and involving physical comedy, topical jokes, call and response, and fairy-tale plots.
   With the Stoke supporters jeering Ziv's every subsequent touch, the pantomime atmosphere created by the home crowd reached a crescendo when Ziv was shown a straight red shortly after the break in extraordinary circumstances. October 20, 2011, Michael da Silva, “Stoke 3 - 0 Macc Tel-Aviv”, in BBC Sport
4. Gesturing without speaking; dumb-show, mime.

verb

1. (transitive) To make (a gesture) without speaking.
   I pantomimed steering a car; he understood, and tossed the keys to me.
2. (transitive) To entertain others by silent gestures or actions.