gesticulation

From Middle French gesticulation, from Latin gesticulatio.

• IPA^(key): /dʒɛˌstɪkjəˈleɪʃən/

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• Rhymes: -eɪʃən
• Hyphenation: ges‧tic‧u‧la‧tion

gesticulation (countable and uncountable, plural gesticulations)

1. The act of gesticulating, or making gestures to aid expression of thoughts, sentiments or passion.
2. A gesture; a motion of the body or limbs when speaking, or in representing action or passion, and enforcing arguments and sentiments.
   • 1897, Richard Marsh, The Beetle:

     In the eagerness of his gesticulations, first he knocked off my hat, then he knocked off Lessingham’s, then his own, then all three together […]

   • 1898, H.G. Wells, The War of the Worlds, London: William Heinemann:

     It is commonly supposed that they communicated by sounds and tentacular gesticulations; this is asserted, for instance, in the able but hastily compiled pamphlet (written evidently by someone not an eye-witness of Martian actions) to which I have already alluded, and which, so far, has been the chief source of information concerning them.

   • 1929, Robert Dean Frisbee, The Book of Puka-Puka, Eland, published 2019, page 193:

     The breeze had died away and the tree was now quite motionless save when William's statements required forcible gesticulations, which made it sway in a gentle nodding manner as though it were confirming every word the old sage uttered.

3. (dated) An odd or fanciful motion.

• gesticulate
• gesticulative
• gesture
• gestural

• unegotistical

From gesticuler +‎ -ation.

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gesticulation f (plural gesticulations)

1. gesticulation

• “gesticulation”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.