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Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

misgesture en · NOUN

Pronunciation

  • /mɪsˈd͡ʒɛst͡ʃə(ɹ)/
  • /mɪsˈd͡ʒɛstjʊə(r)/

Etymology

From mis- + gesture.

Meanings

  1. A gesture that is made in error.
    • He understood that if she was as bad as the instructors and professors on the committee claimed, then there were a hundred misturns, missteps and misgestures she would have made that she did not. 2013, Steve Erickson, Tours of the Black Clock:
    • From Faisal's perspective, a more dramatic “misgesture” on the part of the Americans was needed before the oil weapon would be employed. 1977, Mohammed Mughisuddin, Conflict and Cooperation in the Persian Gulf, page 52:

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
misgestures Number=Plur lexicographic

misgesture en · VERB

Pronunciation

  • /mɪsˈd͡ʒɛst͡ʃə(ɹ)/
  • /mɪsˈd͡ʒɛstjʊə(r)/

Etymology

From mis- + gesture.

Meanings

  1. To make the wrong gesture.
    • He emphasizes as evidence the fact that people sometimes misspeak with a correct gesture, but very rarely misgesture with correct speech. 2008, John Clement, Creative Model Construction in Scientists and Students, page 195:
    • This flesh of ours is not a good feruant, vnlesse it helpe vs in the best offices: The God of Spirits doth most respect the soule of our deuotion; yet, it is both vnmannerly and irreligious, to be misgestured in our Prayers. 1621, Joseph Hall, Meditations and Vowes Divine and Morall, page 824:
    • Touch here? Stroke there? Stop here? Do it again? The impressive fragility of the device only reinforces this sense — to do it wrong by dropping or misgesturing might lead to unknown consequences. 2015, Ian Bogost, The Geek's Chihuahua: Living with Apple:
    • Anyone who misspeaks or misgestures, while trying to maintain a reasonably fast pace, is out of this portion of the exercise. 2014, Jill H. Rathus, Alec L. Miller, DBT® Skills Manual for Adolescents, page 117:

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
misgestured Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part lexicographic
misgestured Tense=Past lexicographic
misgestures Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres lexicographic
misgesturing Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part lexicographic