a1628 F. Greville Life of Sidney (1651) xvi. 223 She preserved her Religion without waving.

1665 Bp. E. Hopkins Serm. Vanity (1685) 88 Such is the waving and fluctuation of all things here below.

1789 J. Williams Nat. Hist. Mineral Kingdom I. 103 This is what I call the waving of the strata.

1751 J. Harris Hermes iii. iii. 335 Sound and Motion..such as the Murmurs and Wavings of a Tree during a storm.

1828 P. F. Tytler Hist. Scotl. I. iv. 395 The gleam of arms, and the waving of the pennons of an encamped army.

1883 E. W. Benson Let. 2 Sept. in A. C. Benson Life of E. W. Benson (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.

1954 Archit. Rev. 115 24 Opening off this is a roof~garden ‘waving-base’ from which passengers' friends can watch the departure of aircraft.

1958 New Statesman 21 June 804/2 The uppermost deck of this air-pier or jet~age jetty is an open public area— ‘waving base’ in official terminology—that gives one a grandstand or pierhead view of the comings and goings.

1965 New Statesman 20 Aug. 261/2 Even at dreary old Heathrow you can get out on to one of the waving-bases..for free.

1678 J. Moxon Mech. Exercises I. vi. 103 (heading) Of the Waving Engine.

1688 R. Holme Acad. Armory iii. 354/2 The Waving Engine..is a thing wherewith Waved Work is generally made upon small Frames for Pictures and Looking Glasses.

1611 J. Speed Hist. Great Brit. ix. viii. 493/1 Their might..depends of the wauing humors, and wils of those inferiour vassels, of whom they thinke themselues vnresistable Commaunders.

a1628 F. Greville Let. to Hon. Lady iv, in Certaine Wks. (1633) 282 His hollow, and wauing minde.

a1616 W. Shakespeare Taming of Shrew (1623) Induct. ii. 52 Euen as the wauing sedges play with winde. View more context for this quotation

a1616 W. Shakespeare Henry VI, Pt. 1 (1623) i. viii. 1 Aduance our wauing Colours on the Walls. View more context for this quotation

1676 J. Dryden Aureng-Zebe v. 78 The waving Arms of Aureng-Zebe appear'd, Display'd with your Morat's.

1697 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Æneis vii, in tr. Virgil Wks. 426 With Joy they view the waving Ensigns fly.

1772 W. Jones Poems 39 The crimson streamer's waving pride.

1829 F. D. Hemans Casabianca in Forest Sanctuary (ed. 2) 244 Upon his brow he felt their breath, And in his waving hair.

1842 C. Dickens Amer. Notes I. v. 187 A forest of ships' masts, cheery with flapping sails and waving flags.

1604 E. Grimeston tr. J. de Acosta Nat. & Morall Hist. Indies v. ix. 352 An azured staffe, cutte in fashion of a waving snake.

1753 W. Hogarth Anal. Beauty vii. 38 The waving line, which is a line more productive of beauty than any of the former.

1810 R. Southey Curse of Kehama i. 2 The fragrant smoke..hangeth visible on high, A dark and waving canopy.

1848 W. M. Thackeray Vanity Fair xliv. 397 He was a fine open faced boy, with blue eyes and waving flaxen hair.

1870 J. D. Hooker Student's Flora Brit. Islands 462 Asplenium Filix-fœmina..Frond 1–5 ft., bright green, flaccid, waving.

1899 T. C. Allbutt et al. Syst. Med. VIII. 553 A single waving or cyclical line results.

1735 W. Somervile Chace i. 236 Th' industrious Beagle twists his waving Tail.

1795 W. Blake Song of Los ii. 34 And his shudd'ring waving wings Went enormous above the red flames.

1820 P. B. Shelley Prometheus Unbound iii. iii. 109 And it circles round, Like the soft waving wings of noonday dreams.

1896 A. Conan Doyle Rodney Stone viii I..saw the gliding lines of windows with staring faces and waving handkerchiefs.

1750 G. Hughes Nat. Hist. Barbados 108 The extremities of the higher branches bend wavingly downwards.

1843 Blackwood's Edinb. Mag. 53 573 The sea below gleams wavingly.

1882 W. James in Amer. Ann. Deaf & Dumb (1883) 108 Moving the hand wavingly across the forehead.