Waving

Waving is a nonverbal communication gesture that consists of the movement of the hand and/or entire arm that people commonly use to greet each other, but it can also be used to say goodbye, acknowledge another's presence, call for silence, or deny someone.

[2] The waving of the hand is a nonverbal gesture that has an unclear origin but is said to date back to as far as the 18th century[3][irrelevant citation] in the form of a saluting.

[4] The action of saluting was formalised only in the 1780s by European armies, since then, it has become a common way of properly addressing one another in the military setting.

[3] An alternate origin is through ASL in the 1800s, where waving handkerchiefs was a way to show approval or excitement or to call attention for deaf people, which is known as the "Chautauqua salute."

For an ASL user, saying "goodbye" is done by repeatedly opening and closing the right hand, and it faces the receiver of the gesture.

A variant known as the wiggly wave consists of holding the hand near shoulder level and wiggling the fingers randomly.

The gesture is often performed, to various degrees, by different members of the British royal family, signaling anything from regality, class and control to elegance, restraint and character.

"[15][17] In Greece, waving the hand with the palm facing out whilst having the fingers stretched is an insult, rather than a greeting.

This is offensive and dates back to the Byzantine times, when moutza would involve prisoners' faces being tainted with charcoal by their own hands and being forced to parade down town streets.