A Greek verb meaning to signal or make a sign by nodding the head or gesturing. Used in Luke 1:62 when Zechariah's relatives made signs to him to ask what name the child should be given, since Zechariah was unable to speak during Elizabeth's pregnancy.
The silence of Zechariah and the gestured communication surrounding John the Baptist's naming carry deep theological significance. God had silenced the priest who doubted His word, and now communication required signs and gestures in anticipation of the Word made flesh. When John was finally named — not Zechariah, but John, meaning "the LORD is gracious" — Zechariah's tongue was loosed and he prophesied the Benedictus. The progression from gesture to speech mirrors the movement from the Law's shadowy signs to the full proclamation of the gospel.