sign language

Noun

• One of several natural languages, typically used by the deaf, in which words consist of hand shapes, motions, positions, and facial expressions.
• The sign language (sense 1) that is used locally or that is mistakenly believed to be the only one.
• Sign languages (sense 1) considered collectively.
• Communication through gestures as a substitute for language, for example, between monks under a vow of silence or during trade amongst different linguistic groups.