Calling or signaling someone to come toward you, often with a gesture like waving or nodding.
From Old English 'becnan,' from 'be-' (around) plus 'cnan' (to make known). The root idea is making something known through gesture.
Beckoning is one of the few human gestures that seems universal—that waving motion to come here appears across cultures, though some cultures do it differently (palm up vs. down)!
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