See Also: beckon(dictionary)
beckon(dictionary)

beckon (iou)



beckon verb & noun.
[Old English becnan (biecnan) = Old Saxon boknian, Old High German bouhnen, from West Germanic, formed as BEACON noun.]
A. verb.
verb intrans. Signal with a gesture of head, hand, or finger, esp. to indicate that someone should approach. OE.
Joyce The old woman, seeing that I hesitated to enter, began to beckon to me again repeatedly with her hand. fig.: S. Brett The West End then beckoned, and he appeared as a solid juvenile in..light comedies.
verb trans. (orig. with dat. obj.). Gesture to (a person) to approach, by a movement of head, hand, or finger; summon by such a signal. OE.
Shakespeare Othello Iago beckons me; now he begins the story.
b. noun. A significant gesture, esp. one indicating assent or command. rare. E18.