English
beckon
Beckon comes from Middle English bekenen ‘to beckon’, from Old English bēacnian ‘to signal’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂- ‘to glow, light, shine’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰeh₂-‘to glow, light, shine’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*baukną‘sign, symbol’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*baukn‘signal’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanic, derivedc. 200–500 CE*bauknōn‘to signal’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150bēacnian‘to signal’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500bekenen‘to beckon’
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1599–1602beckon
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰeh₂-‘to glow, light, shine’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*baukną‘sign, symbol’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*baukn‘signal’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanic, derivedc. 200–500 CE*bauknōn‘to signal’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150bēacnian‘to signal’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500bekenen‘to beckon’
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1599–1602beckon
Earliest quotation: c. 1599–1602, William Shakespeare, The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke: “It beckons you to go away with it.”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂- ‘to glow, light, shine’
phone, focus, professor, famous, fuel, phase, favor, favourite, ban, fantasy, fate, fancy, ben, fame, photographer, emphasis, fatal, fairy, fabulous, infant, profession, phenomenon, abandon, phantom, bee, confession, confess, symphony, eff, fab, fay, bane, prophetic, epiphany, fable, boon, foyer, banish, nefarious, profess, 126 more
through Proto-Germanic *baukną ‘sign, symbol’
through Proto-West Germanic *baukn ‘signal’
Today it means
verb To wave or nod to somebody with the intention to make the person come closer.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂- / beckon