Meaning

verb signal with the hands or nod

verb appear inviting

verb summon with a wave, nod, or some other gesture

originFrom Middle English bekenen, beknen, becnen, beknien, from Old English bēacnian, bēcnian, bīecnan (“to signal; beckon”), from Proto-West Germanic *bauknōn, *bauknijan (“to signal”), from *baukn (“signal; beacon”). Cognate with Old Saxon bōknian, Old High German bouhnen, Old Norse bákna. More at beacon.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0