pantomime [L16th] This word comes from Greek pantomimos ‘imitator of all’. In Latin pantomimus was used for an actor using mime. This later developed into a comic dramatization with the stock characters of Clown, Pantaloon (see italian words), *Harlequin, and Columbine. The familiar panto based on fairy tales such as Mother Goose or Cinderella and involving music, topical jokes, and slapstick comedy developed in the 19th century, with a new set of conventional characters including the dame, the principal boy, and the pantomime horse. Mime [E17th] and mimic [L16th] come from the same root. See also meme.