finger wave
1
6.6
- noun
- /ˈfɪŋɡər weɪv/
- During the parade, the celebrity acknowledged the crowd with a quick finger wave.
Examples
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The child gave a shy finger wave to her teacher before leaving the classroom.
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She greeted her neighbor with a friendly finger wave from across the street.
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As the train departed, he managed a quick finger wave through the window.
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She greeted him with a finger wave.
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Did you see her finger wave at the crowd?
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He greeted his friends with a cheerful finger wave as he walked by.
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The little girl said goodbye with a cute finger wave to her father.
Synonyms
54
1.0
A hand movement to greet or attract attention
10
1.0
A movement of the hand to greet or get attention
1
1.0
A small movement of the hand to say hello and show kindness
A small playful hand movement to say hello or show affection
How Energetic
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: 'finger' (hand digits) modifies 'wave' (a hand movement), so a 'finger wave' is clearly a wave made with the fingers. This noun+noun compound follows a common English pattern and has clear cross-linguistic parallels, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily infer the meaning.
Etymology
The noun finger wave comes from the simple image of moving only your finger or fingers to make a small wave when you cannot use your arm. People often do this through a window or at a distance, so the gesture means a short, polite 'greeting' or 'farewell'.