FromMiddle Englishbekenen,beknen,becnen,beknien, fromOld Englishbēacnian,bēcnian,bīecnan(“to signal; beckon”), fromProto-West Germanic*bauknōn,*bauknijan(“to signal”), from*baukn(“signal; beacon”). Cognate withOld Saxonbōknian,Old High Germanbouhnen,Old Norsebákna. More atbeacon.
beckon (third-person singular simple presentbeckons,present participlebeckoning,simple past and past participlebeckoned)
- (ambitransitive) Towave ornod tosomebody with theintention tomake thepersoncomecloser.
1697,Virgil, “(please specify the book number)”, inJohn Dryden, transl.,The Works of Virgil: Containing His Pastorals, Georgics, and Æneis. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […],→OCLC:His distant friends, hebeckons near.
c.1599–1602 (date written),William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke”, inMr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, andEd[ward] Blount, published1623,→OCLC,[Act I, scene iv]:Itbeckons you to go away with it.
- (ambitransitive) Toseemattractive andinviting.
2016, “Into the Unknown”, in Brandon Michael Armstrong, Joshua Ross Kaufman, Justin Isaac Rubenstein, Patrick Nolen McHale (lyrics),Over the Garden Wall (Original Television Soundtrack)[1], performed by Jack Jones:How the gentle wind /Beckons through the leaves / As autumn colors fall
to wave or nod to somebody with the intention to make the person come closer
- Arabic:أَشَارَ(ʔašāra),أَوْمَأَ (ar)(ʔawmaʔa)
- Azerbaijani:əlləmək,əl eləmək
- Bulgarian:кимвам(kimvam),махвам (bg)(mahvam),повиквам с ръка(povikvam s rǎka)
- Czech:pokynout pf,kývnout pf,pokývnout pf,dát znamení pf
- Dutch:wenken (nl)
- Esperanto:mansigni,algesti
- Finnish:viittoa (fi),viittilöidä
- French:faire signe (fr)
- German:heranwinken,herbeiwinken,winken (de),zuwinken (de)
- Gothic:𐌱𐌰𐌽𐌳𐍅𐌾𐌰𐌽(bandwjan)
- Greek:γνέφω (el)(gnéfo)
- Ancient:ἀποσημαίνω(aposēmaínō)
- Hungarian:int (hu)
- Irish:bagair
- Italian:accennare (it)
- Maori:tungatunga,tawhi,pōhiri,pōwhiri,tāwhiri,pōwhiriwhiri,pōhirihiri,hūkari,hūkarikari
- Middle English:bekenen
- Persian:اشارت کردن(ešârat kardan)
- Portuguese:acenar (pt)
- Russian:подзыва́ть (ru)(podzyvátʹ)
- Scottish Gaelic:smèid
- Spanish:llamarconseñas,hacerademanesparaqueseacerque,deseñar (es)(desus.),hacergestosparaquevenga
- Swedish:vinka till sig
- Turkish:el etmek (tr)
- Ukrainian:мани́ти(manýty),кива́ти(kyváty)
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seem attractive and inviting
beckon (pluralbeckons)
- Asign made without words; abeck.
2020,Abi Daré,The Girl With The Louding Voice, Sceptre, page110:He turn to me, make abeckon with the key in his hand.
- A children's game similar tohide and seek in which children who have been "caught" may escape if they see another hider beckon to them.
