[f. WAVE v. + -ING1.] The action of the verb.
† 1. The action of changing capriciously; vacillation, wavering, Obs.
a. 1628. F. Greville, Life of Sidney (1652), 223. She preserved her Religion without waving.
1665. E. Hopkins, Serm. Vanity (1685), 88. Such is the waving and fluctuation of all things here below.
2. Movement (of water, the sea) in waves; undulatory surface-movement (of a forest, crop, etc.).
1571. Golding, Calvin on Ps. lxii. 6. 235. Like as if a soft gale stir ye sea, so as the waves ryse not with great rage, and yit there is some waving.
1714. Addison, Spect., No. 585, ¶ 2. What tho’ I am delighted with the Wavings of thy Forests.
1820. Southey, Wesley, I. 80. Neither the waving of the sea, nor the motion of the ship, could take away the refreshing sleep which God gave them.
1853. Dickens, Bleak Ho., xviii. The waving of the corn.
† b. Undulating play of color. Obs.
1662. Merrett, trans. Neri’s Art of Glass, II. xxxvii. 61. Hardly would you believe the beauty, the toyes and wavings of divers colours.
3. Undulation in form.
1789. J. Williams, Min. Kingd., I. 103. This is what I call the waving of the strata.
4. Motion to and fro (of something having a free end).
1751. J. Harris, Hermes, III. iii. (1765), 336. Sound and Motion … such as the Murmurs and Wavings of a Tree during a storm.
1828–41. Tytler, Hist. Scot. (1864), I. 151. The gleam of arms, and the waving of the pennons of an encamped army.
1883. Abp. Benson, in A. C. Benson, Life (1899), II. i. 15. Beech trees and cedars standing as still as possible in it [sc. the soft rain] with such gentle slow wavings as to make the most of it.
5. The action or an act of moving (the hand or something held in the hand, the wings, etc.) to and fro.
1611. Bible, Lev. xiv. 21. Hee shall take one lambe for a trespasse offring to be waued [marg. for a wauing.]
1612. Parkes, Curtain-Drawer, 47. Each Play-house aduanceth his flagge in the aire, whither quickly at the waving thereof, are summoned whole troopes of men, women and children.
1657. J. Trapp, Comm., Ps. lxxx. 7. As the bird by much waving gathereth wind under the wing, and mounteth higher.
1711. Addison, Spect., No. 159, ¶ 3. He beckoned to me, and by the waving of his Hand directed me to approach the Place where he sat.
1784. trans. Beckford’s Vathek, 88. The waving of fans was heard.
1837. Dickens, Pickw., xxxiii. The waving of handkerchiefs was renewed.
1859. Tennyson, Guinevere, 579. She … in the darkness o’er her fallen head, Perceived the waving of his hands that blest.
b. A signal or direction given by waving the hand, a flag, or the like. Obs.
1563. P. Whitehorne, Onosandro Platon., 87. The commaundements, wauinges, and signes, ought likewyse first to be geuen to the heads and leaders of men.
6. Comb.: † waving-engine, a machine for cutting waved indentations on wood.
1678. Moxon, Mech. Exerc., vi. 103. Of the Waving Engine.
1688. R. Holme, Armoury, III. 354/2. The Waving Engine … is a thing wherewith Waved Work is generally made upon small Frames for Pictures and Looking Glasses.
