Word Confusion: Gesture versus Jester

Plural for the noun: gestures
Gerund: gesturing

Third person present verb: gestures
Past tense or past participle: gestured
Present participle: gesturing

Plural: jesters

• An action performed to convey one’s feelings or intentions
• Any action, courtesy, communication, etc., intended for effect or as a formality
• An action performed for show in the knowledge that it will have no effect
• A considered expression
• A demonstration

[Digital Technology] A particular movement of the body, typically the fingers or hand, used to control or interact with a digital device (often used attributively)

Verb, intransitive:
Make a movement with a part of the body

Verb, transitive:
[With adverbial or infinitive] Direct or invite (someone) to move somewhere specified

• Express (something) with a movement or movements with a part of the body

• A person who habitually plays the fool
• A professional clown

He made a threatening gesture at the crazy driver.

So much can be conveyed by gesture.

Cultivating an antiracist company culture requires much more than a few gestures.

Maggie was touched by the kind gesture.

I hope the amendment will not be just a gesture.

It was a lovely gesture of friendship.

He made an imperative gesture to his subordinate.

Use a two-finger pinching gesture on your touchscreen to zoom in or out.

Verb, intransitive:
She gestured meaningfully with the pistol.

“When Blanche questioned a prospective juror who had filmed videos of Upper West Siders celebrating the 2020 election results, Trump muttered something under his breath and gestured aggressively” (Lach).

“The cub runs over to the fence, stands up on its back legs, briefly changes direction, and tries again before another individual comes up behind it and seemingly gestures to catch it” (Czachor).

Verb, transitive:
He gestured her to a chair.

He gestured his dissent at this.

“Jovic was called for his second technical foul, meaning an automatic ejection, midway through the third quarter after gesturing his arm in disgust following a foul call” (Jackson).

There was this chap dressed as a court jester.

He is the class jester writ large.

His jester was not a fool.

“It is like the sadness which you may see in the jester’s eyes when a merry company is laughing at his sallies; his lips smile and his jokes are gayer because in the communion of laughter he finds himself more intolerably alone” (Maugham, ch 45).

The original sense was bearing, deportment, hence the use of posture and bodily movements for effect in oratory.