Meaning of "gesture" in the English dictionary

ETYMOLOGY OF THE WORD GESTURE

From Medieval Latin gestūra bearing, from Latin gestus, past participle of gerere to bear.

Etymology is the study of the origin of words and their changes in structure and significance.

PRONUNCIATION OF GESTURE

gesture  [ˈdʒɛstʃə]

GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF GESTURE

Gesture is a verb and can also act as a noun.

A noun is a type of word the meaning of which determines reality. Nouns provide the names for all things: people, objects, sensations, feelings, etc.

The verb is the part of the sentence that is conjugated and expresses action and state of being.

See the conjugation of the verb gesture in English.

WHAT DOES GESTURE MEAN IN ENGLISH?

Gesture

A gesture is a form of non-verbal communication or non-vocal communication in which visible bodily actions communicate particular messages, either in place of, or in conjunction with, speech. Gestures include movement of the hands, face, or other parts of the body. Gestures differ from physical non-verbal communication that does not communicate specific messages, such as purely expressive displays, proxemics, or displays of joint attention. Gestures allow individuals to communicate a variety of feelings and thoughts, from contempt and hostility to approval and affection, often together with body language in addition to words when they speak. Gesture processing takes place in areas of the brain such as Broca's and Wernicke's areas, which are used by speech and sign language. In fact, language is thought to have evolved from manual gestures. The theory that language evolved from manual gestures, termed Gestural Theory, dates back to the work of 18th-century philosopher and priest Abbé de Condillac, and has been revived by contemporary anthropologist Gordon W. Hewes, in 1973, as part of a discussion on the origin of language.

Definition of gesture in the English dictionary

The first definition of gesture in the dictionary is a motion of the hands, head, or body to emphasize an idea or emotion, esp while speaking. Other definition of gesture is something said or done as a formality or as an indication of intention. Gesture is also the manner in which a person bears himself; posture.

CONJUGATION OF THE VERB TO GESTURE

PRESENT

Present

I gesture

you gesture

he/she/it gestures

we gesture

you gesture

they gesture

Present continuous

I am gesturing

you are gesturing

he/she/it is gesturing

we are gesturing

you are gesturing

they are gesturing

Present perfect

I have gestured

you have gestured

he/she/it has gestured

we have gestured

you have gestured

they have gestured

Present perfect continuous

I have been gesturing

you have been gesturing

he/she/it has been gesturing

we have been gesturing

you have been gesturing

they have been gesturing

Present tense is used to refer to circumstances that exist at the present time or over a period that includes the present time. The present perfect refers to past events, although it can be considered to denote primarily the resulting present situation rather than the events themselves.

PAST

Past

I gestured

you gestured

he/she/it gestured

we gestured

you gestured

they gestured

Past continuous

I was gesturing

you were gesturing

he/she/it was gesturing

we were gesturing

you were gesturing

they were gesturing

Past perfect

I had gestured

you had gestured

he/she/it had gestured

we had gestured

you had gestured

they had gestured

Past perfect continuous

I had been gesturing

you had been gesturing

he/she/it had been gesturing

we had been gesturing

you had been gesturing

they had been gesturing

Past tense forms express circumstances existing at some time in the past,

FUTURE

Future

I will gesture

you will gesture

he/she/it will gesture

we will gesture

you will gesture

they will gesture

Future continuous

I will be gesturing

you will be gesturing

he/she/it will be gesturing

we will be gesturing

you will be gesturing

they will be gesturing

Future perfect

I will have gestured

you will have gestured

he/she/it will have gestured

we will have gestured

you will have gestured

they will have gestured

Future perfect continuous

I will have been gesturing

you will have been gesturing

he/she/it will have been gesturing

we will have been gesturing

you will have been gesturing

they will have been gesturing

The future is used to express circumstances that will occur at a later time.

CONDITIONAL

Conditional

I would gesture

you would gesture

he/she/it would gesture

we would gesture

you would gesture

they would gesture

Conditional continuous

I would be gesturing

you would be gesturing

he/she/it would be gesturing

we would be gesturing

you would be gesturing

they would be gesturing

Conditional perfect

I would have gesture

you would have gesture

he/she/it would have gesture

we would have gesture

you would have gesture

they would have gesture

Conditional perfect continuous

I would have been gesturing

you would have been gesturing

he/she/it would have been gesturing

we would have been gesturing

you would have been gesturing

they would have been gesturing

Conditional or "future-in-the-past" tense refers to hypothetical or possible actions.

IMPERATIVE

Imperative

you gesture
we let´s gesture
you gesture

The imperative is used to form commands or requests.

NONFINITE VERB FORMS

Infinitive

to gesture

Past participle

gestured

Present Participle

gesturing

Infinitive shows the action beyond temporal perspective. The present participle or gerund shows the action during the session. The past participle shows the action after completion.

SYNONYMS OF «GESTURE»

The following words have a similar or identical meaning as «gesture» and belong to the same grammatical category.

synonyms of gesture

action · beckon · demonstration · display · exhibition · expression · gesticulate · gesticulation · illustration · indicate · indication · manifestation · motion · proof · sign · signal · testimony · wave

TRANSLATION OF GESTURE

Find out the translation of gesture to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.

The translations of gesture from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «gesture» in English.

• Translator English - Chinese: 姿态
• Translator English - Spanish: gesto
• English: gesture
• Translator English - Hindi: इशारा
• Translator English - Arabic: إيـْمَاءَة
• Translator English - Russian: жест
• Translator English - Portuguese: gesto
• Translator English - Bengali: অঙ্গভঙ্গি
• Translator English - French: geste
• Translator English - Malay: Isyarat
• Translator English - German: Geste
• Translator English - Japanese: 身振り
• Translator English - Korean: 몸짓
• Translator English - Javanese: polah
• Translator English - Vietnamese: cử chỉ
• Translator English - Tamil: சைகை
• Translator English - Marathi: हावभाव
• Translator English - Turkish: jest
• Translator English - Italian: gesto
• Translator English - Polish: gest
• Translator English - Ukrainian: жест
• Translator English - Romanian: gest
• Translator English - Greek: χειρονομία
• Translator English - Afrikaans: gebaar
• Translator English - Swedish: gest
• Translator English - Norwegian: gest

10 QUOTES WITH «GESTURE»

Famous quotes and sentences with the word gesture.

1

Shari Arison

Putting forward your positive energy connects you back to basic human values which we all share. Good Deeds Day shows that no matter the size of the gesture, a smile that brightens someone else's day or volunteering in your community, we can all take active part in making a difference.

2

Erykah Badu

I have the ability to sing with emotion and feeling, but if you say I sound like Billie Holiday, that's cool. Let's look at who Billie was: she was this person, this singer, this beautiful diva who could move the audience with the slightest gesture of her hand.

3

Roland Barthes

For the theatre one needs long arms; it is better to have them too long than too short. An artiste with short arms can never, never make a fine gesture.

4

Sarah Bernhardt

For the theatre one needs long arms... an artiste with short arms can never make a fine gesture.

5

Quentin Blake

I think it is the fact that birds are two-legged, like us, which gives them something of our balance and gesture and makes them nearer to us.

6

Helena Blavatsky

We see that every external motion, act, gesture, whether voluntary or mechanical, organic or mental, is produced and preceded by internal feeling or emotion, will or volition, and thought or mind.

7

Ray Bolger

I am dancing all the time. Every gesture, the body line of every pose, the way I get from place to place, the movement in the acting - none of it would be the way it is if I weren't a dancer.

8

Edgar Bronfman, Sr.

Investments are a real partnership, with an expected return; donations are a gesture made as a result of ethical, religious, or political passions.

9

Jonathan Carroll

Why do people always gesture with their hands when they talk on the phone?

10

Oleg Cassini

I spent half my life being hurt. The leftovers of hurt are an automatic gesture, like a dog that salivates.

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «GESTURE»

Discover the use of gesture in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to gesture and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.

Gesture: Visible Action as Utterance

Adam Kendon accompanies his analyses with an extended discussion of the history of the study of gesture - a topic not dealt with in any previous publication - as well as exploring the relationship between gesture and sign language, and how ...

Adam Kendon, 2004

Gesture and Thought

In Gesture and Thought he brings together years of this research, arguing that gesturing, an act which has been popularly understood as an accessory to speech, is actually a dialectical component of language.

David McNeill, 2008

Gesture: Second Language Acquistion and Classroom Research

This book demonstrates the vital connection between language and gesture, and why it is critical for research on second language acquisition to take into account the full spectrum of communicative phenomena.

Steven G. McCafferty, Gale Stam, 2010

Silent Gesture: The Autobiography of Tommie Smith

In this, his autobiography, Smith tells the story of that moment, and of his life before and after it, to explain what that moment meant to him.

Tommie Smith, 2008

Hearing Gesture: How Our Hands Help Us Think

In general, we are unaware of gesture, which occurs as an undercurrent alongside an acknowledged verbal exchange. In this book, Susan Goldin-Meadow makes clear why we must not ignore the background conversation.

Susan Goldin-Meadow, 2005

Bone, Breath & Gesture: Practices of Embodiment

This book is a collection of writings on principles and techniques by the pioneers of bodywork and body awareness disciplines. Together, they represent a historical record of the field of somatics.

Don Johnson, 1995

Language and Gesture

Landmark study on the role of gestures in relation to speech and thought.

David McNeill, 2000

Music and Gesture

This volume showcases key theoretical ideas and practical considerations in the growing area of scholarship on musical gesture.

Anthony Gritten, Elaine King, 2006

Gesture and Speech

Combines in one volume "Technics and Language", in which anthropologist Leroi-Gourhan looks at prehistoric technology in relation to the development of cognitive and liguistic faculties, and "Memory and Rhythms", which addresses instinct ...

André Leroi-Gourhan, 1993

Nature Embodied: Gesture in Ancient Rome

"--Alan L. Boegehold, Brown University, author of "When a Gesture was Expected" "This is an important successor to the author's well received and frequently cited Controlling Laughter.

Anthony Corbeill, 2004

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «GESTURE»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term gesture is used in the context of the following news items.

Dozier touched by Molitor's gesture

Twins second baseman Brian Dozier said he didn't know manager Paul Molitor was going to pull him from Sunday's game in ninth inning in ... «Minneapolis Star Tribune, Jul 15»

NRI student's gesture to the mentally retarded

“We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give to the underprivileged,” is what said an NRI student K. Aishwar (17) ... «The Hindu, Jul 15»

Parking will be free in Mountain Ash town centre 'as gesture of …

Parking will be free in Mountain Ash “as a gesture of goodwill” with 12 weeks of disruption about to begin during two more waves of essential ... «WalesOnline, Jul 15»

Bolivian president commie crucifix a “cordial” and “affectionate …

“Francis accompanied this gesture with the following words: “The President of the nation was kind enough to offer me two decorative honours ... «Canada Free Press, Jul 15»

Why Serbian prime minister's gesture of reconciliation was rejected …

Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic has made repeated gestures of atonement but was chased out by angry crowds at a Srebrenica memorial on ... «Christian Science Monitor, Jul 15»

EU's Moscovici says Greece has made significant gesture

BRUSSELS, July 11 For comments by euro zone finance ministers and others attending a Eurogroup meeting on Greece in Brussels on ... «Reuters, Jul 15»

Latics Loyalty Promise - What A Brilliant Gesture

All 2015/16 season ticket holders will be charged no more than £199 for their 2016/17 season ticket as a gesture of gratitude for the fans ... «Vitalfootball, Jul 15»

Google Patents Wireless Charging Tech, Gesture-Controlled Head …

Indicating towards a major entry into VR with Google Glass and a big hardware upgrade for future Chromebooks, Google last week, has been ... «The Tech Portal, Jul 15»

Modi's brave gesture and its reasons

Visiting Pakistan by a man from the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh who has viewed that nation as an eternal enemy is an exceptional gesture. «ABP Live, Jul 15»

Teach Your Fitness Band to Track Biceps Curls and Other Activities

Gesture recognition can be useful for tracking a range of activities and ... it easier to add accurate gesture and activity recognition to all kinds of ... «MIT Technology Review, Jul 15»