gesticulation

(jĕ-stĭk'yə-lā'shən)
n.

1. The act of gesticulating.
2. A deliberate, vigorous motion or gesture. See synonyms at gesture.

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1. Gesture is a somewhat older word (15th century) than gesticulation (16th century), and both are related to Latin gestus meaning 'action'. In current use they overlap in their meanings to do with movement of the body or parts of the body as a mode of expression, and it is the degree of animation that governs the choice, gesticulation indicating a much more theatrical movement of the arms or body. The extended meaning of gesture, 'a friendly action intended to evoke a positive response', first came into English as recently as the early 20th century:

The gift of your Medal of Honour to a British comrade in arms...is a gesture of friendly sympathy and good will which we will not forget—Times, 1921

Flowers didn't occur to Sneed until he had arrived at the hospital, and there the gesture was pointless—G. F. Newman, 1970.

2. A neologism from the end of the 20th century that has extended this use is gesture politics, defined as 'political action which concentrates primarily on publicity value and influencing public opinion'. It is normally used with connotations of disapproval:

There is no room for gesture politics. If we want to open debate about the future and our constitution, that is fine—Daily Mail, 1995.

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noun

An expressive, meaningful bodily movement: gesture, indication, motion, sign, signal. Informal high sign. See express.