Beckoning

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /ˈbɛkənɪŋ/

Definitions

1. Making a movement with the hand or arm to signal someone to come closer or pay attention
2. Using a motion to invite or encourage someone to approach or follow
3. Signaling with a wave or nod to draw a person nearer or gain their focus

Etymology: "Beckoning" is the present participle of "beckon," and the verb has a direct link to a much more familiar word: "beacon." Both descend from an Old English verb, "bēacnian," meaning "to signal," which was built on a noun, "bēacen," for a sign or signal fire. The verb therefore began as the act of making a sign, and the wave or nod we now associate with it is the original sense, not a later extension. The root also reaches beyond English. Old Saxon, Old High German and Old Norse all had close relatives of the verb, which shows that the word's core idea of signaling was already shared among early Germanic peoples. The sense of drawing someone closer grew naturally out of that: a signal exists to get someone's attention and bring them over.

Synonyms: summoning, calling, gesturing, inviting, signaling

Antonyms: dismissing, rejecting, turning away, ignoring, shunning