chironomy

C3H4I1R1O1N1O1M3Y4
/kaɪˈɹɒnəmi/

noun

The art of using effective hand gestures, especially (historical) in Greco-Roman contexts.

OriginFrench chironomie ← Latin chīronomia ← Ancient Greek χειρονομία →
Scrabble 19
Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

nounchironomy (usually uncountable, plural chironomies)

plural chironomies · alternative cheironomy · alternative cheironomia

  1. rhetoricuncountableusuallyThe art of using effective hand gestures, especially (historical) in Greco-Roman contexts.
  2. uncountableusuallyentertainmentThe skill of conducting music with hand gestures.

Origin

  1. Ancient Greekχειρονομία“gesturing, gesticulation”
  2. Latinchīronomia
  3. Frenchchironomie
  4. Englishchironomy

From French chironomie and directly from Latin chīronomia, from Ancient Greek χειρονομία (kheironomía, “gesturing, gesticulation”), from χειρονόμος (kheironómos, “mime, skilled gesturer”), from χειρο- (kheiro-, “hand-”) + νόμος (nómos, “controller, manager”), from νέμω (némō, “to control, to manage”).

More words from French, Latin, Ancient Greek

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

chironomy. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/chironomy

MLA

“chironomy.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/chironomy. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “chironomy,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/chironomy.

Source: chironomy on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.