gesticulate

/dʒɛsˈtɪkjʊleɪt/

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin gesticulātus, perfect active participle of gesticulor (“to gesticulate”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from gesticulus (“a mimic gesture”), diminutive of gestus (“gesture”), from gerō (“to bear, carry, perform”).

gesticulate means to make gestures or motions, as in speaking. Lexicurio rates it Rare gem — a strength score of 84 out of 100.

Why this word is great

GESTICULATE — [Verb] To make expressive or emphatic gestures, especially while speaking. From the Latin gesticulatus, past participle of gesticulari ("to gesture, mimic"), from gesticulus ("a small, mimic gesture"), diminutive of gestus ("gesture, carriage"), from gerere ("to carry, perform"). Unlike the formal, codified lexicon of "sign" or the deliberate, singular statement of a "gesture," to gesticulate is to embroider the air with unscripted, urgent punctuation—a spontaneous, kinetic overflow of speech. It is the frantic carving of an anecdote at a crowded table, the stranded traveler bridging a language gap with wild pantomime, or the helpless, fluttering punctuation of a conversation across a roaring street—a futile, beautiful attempt to make thought tangible, a raw architecture of the unsaid.

verb

To make gestures or motions, as in speaking.“A "Haka" is the native dance, answering to the corroboree of the Australian aboriginals, and we were anxious to see it. […] Later in the evening, however, the complaisant Herekiekie entertained a small and select party at a "Haka" in his "whare" or house (pronounced wharry). It was exactly what I expected. The performers, all male, stood in a row, one, slightly advanced, acting as fugleman. They s”
To say or express through gestures.“[…]the TV programme Friends is influencing not only the way Irish people speak but also how they gesticulate. Now almost every utterance is accompanied by arms outstretched and palms turned upwards."”