gesture
/ˈd͡ʒɛs.t͡ʃɚ/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: 3.90 in modern English
8
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
2
Syllables
6
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A motion made with a pointing device, or on a touchscreen, that is recognised by the system as a command.
Countable; Uncountable
Example Sentences
- "The middle-finger gesture is really a nonverbal swear."
- "Grace was in all her steps, heaven in her eye, / In every gesture dignity and love."
- "Hand gestures are also essential to Belter communication, as they evolved from the days of wearing space suits with poor comms during the early settler days."
- "We took flowers as a gesture of sympathy."
- "But, with a gesture, she put a period to this dalliance—one shouldn't palter so on an empty stomach, she might almost have said."
- "This Web browser can be controlled with mouse gestures."
Etymology
From Medieval Latin gestūra (“a mode of action”), from Latin gerō (“to bear; (reflexive) bear oneself, behave, act”), past participle gestus. By surface analysis, Latin gest- + -ure.
Origin
- Source language: Latin
Word Breakdown
- Root: *h₂eǵ-, gestūra, gerō
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈd͡ʒɛs.t͡ʃɚ/
- British English: /ˈd͡ʒɛs.t͡ʃə/