Types of Divination
austromancy: noun Divination from observation of the winds.
astragalomancy: noun Divination by dice made from huckle-bones. They have four flat sides and two round sides which were marked. noun Divination by throwing astragaloi (see etymology above) onto the pages of a picture book. noun Simply divination by dice.
armomancy: noun divination using the shoulder blades of animals. It was taken from a dead animal and thrown into a fire, the cracks formed in the bone were then interpreted. noun divination through inspecting oneโs shoulders. In ancient times, this inspection was to see whether a human was suitable to be a sacrifice to the Gods.
anthropomancy: noun Divination by inspecting the entrails of a human being.
anthracomancy: noun Divination by means of burning coals.
ambulomancy: noun Divination by walking.
alphitomancy: noun A divination practise used to reveal guilty parties my feeding a person or group barley meal. The innocent, it is said, would feel no effects, but the guilty would feel indigestion. Also known as Cursed Bread.
aleuromancy: noun A method of divination by meal or flour, practised by the ancients.
alectryomancy: noun A form of divination in which the diviner observes a bird, several birds (or most preferably the white rooster or cockerel) pecking at grain that the diviner has scattered on the ground.
ailuromancy: noun Divination of the appearance and behaviour of cats.
aeromancy: noun Divination by use of atmospheric conditions.
alectoromancy: noun Same as alectryomancy.
axinomancy: noun An ancient kind of divination for the detection of crime by means of an ax or axes.
astromancy: noun Divination by means of the stars; astrology.
arithmancy: noun Same as arithmomancy. noun Divination by means of numbers. noun Divination using numbers that are the equivalent of letters of a name
alomancy: noun Same as halomancy. noun Divination by means of salt.
botanomancy: noun An ancient method of divination by means of plants, especially by means of the leaves of the sage and fig.
bibliomancy: noun Divination by interpretation of a passage chosen at random from a book, especially the Bible.
belomancy: noun A kind of divination anciently practiced by means of marked arrows drawn at random from a bag or quiver, the marks on the arrows drawn being supposed to foreshow the future. noun studying the flight of arrows, an act of divination used by the Greeks and Arabs. It is strongly forbidden in the Koran.
crithomancy: noun A kind of divination practised among the ancients by means of cakes offered in sacrifice, or of meal spread over the victim.
cleromancy: noun Divination by the casting of lots. noun Divination by throwing dice or any such marked objects, like beans, pebbles, or bone.
cleidomancy: noun Divination by use of a suspended key as a pendulum. A form of radiesthesia.
chronomancy: noun The divination of the best time to do something, or the determination of lucky and unlucky days.
chiromancy: noun Palmistry. noun Divination by the hand; the art or practice of attempting to foretell the future of a person by inspecting the lines and lineaments of his hand; palmistry practised with reference to the future; also, palmistry in general. noun Synonyms Chiromancy, Chirognomy. See chirognomy.
cephalomancy: noun Divination by means of a head. See also cephalonomancy. noun Divination by the study of the skull or head of a donkey or goat. Sometimes mentioned as the roasting of an assโs head on hot coals.
cephaleonomancy: noun Divination by a broiled assโ head.
cartomancy: noun Divination by means of playing-cards. noun Fortune telling using cards, as in tarot.
capnomancy: noun Divination by the ascent or motion of smoke.
catoptromancy: noun A species of divination among the ancients, performed by letting down a mirror into water for a sick person to look at his face in it. noun Divination by use of mirrors, or other reflective surfaces. Similar to crystallomancy, dubjed, enoptromancy and scrying.
crystallomancy: noun A mode of divining by means of a transparent body, as a precious stone, crystal globe, etc., formerly in high esteem.
cromniomancy: noun Divination by onions or onion sprouts.
cledonomancy: noun Divination through interpreting random remarks, statements or events.
cyclomancy: noun Divination by interpreting wheels or any other revolving objects.
cheiromancy: noun Alternative form of chiromancy.
coscinomancy: noun An old mode of divination, consisting in suspending a sieve, or fixing it to the point of a pair of shears, then repeating a formula of words and the names of persons suspected of some crime or other act. If the sieve moved when a name was repeated, the person named was deemed guilty.
chaomancy: noun Divination by means of the atmosphere or by aรซrial visions; clairvoyance; second sight.
demonomancy: noun Divination while under the influence or inspiration of the devil or of demons. noun Divination using the aid of demons to reveal information.
dendromancy: noun Divination by leaves and branches of plants and trees. Especially oak and mistletoe.
dactylomancy: noun rare Dactyliomancy. noun divination by various methods using rings. Such as using silver or gold rings placed on the fingernails in patterns in conjunction with the planets.
enoptromancy: noun Divination by means of a mirror or other reflective surfaces.
gyromancy: noun A kind of divination said to have been practised by walking round in a circle or ring until the performer fell from dizziness, the manner of his fall being interpreted with reference to characters or signs previously placed about the ring, or in some such way.
graptomancy: noun Divination by handwriting.
gastromancy: noun In antiquity: noun A kind of divination among the ancients by means of words which seemed to be uttered from the belly; divination by ventriloquism. noun A species of divination by means of large-bellied glasses or other round transparent vessels, in the center of which figures were supposed to appear by magic art.
geomancy: noun Divination by means of lines and figures or by geographic features. noun A kind of divination by means of figures or lines, formed by little dots or points, originally on the earth, and latterly on paper. noun A method of divination which interprets markings on the ground or how handfuls of dirt land when tossed.
hydromancy: noun Divination by the observation of water.
hippomancy: noun Divination by the interpretation of the appearance and behaviour of horses. Their neighing and stamping are particularly noted.
hieromancy: noun Divination by observing the objects offered in sacrifice.
halomancy: noun Divination in some manner by means of salt. Also written, less properly, alomancy.
idolomancy: noun Divination by means of images or idols.
ichthyomancy: noun Divination by means of the heads or the entrails of fishes. ichnomancy: noun Divination by observation of footprints.
logomancy: noun Divination with words.
lithomancy: noun Divination or prediction by means of stones.
lecanomancy: noun Divination by throwing three stones into water in a basin and invoking the aid of a demon.
lampadomancy: noun An ancient method of divination from the variations in the color and motions of the flame of a lamp or torch.
myomancy: noun A kind of divination or method of foretelling future events by the movements of mice.
metopomancy: noun Divination by means of the characteristics of the face. noun rare Fortune telling by physiognomy.
meteoromancy: noun Divination by meteoric phenomena. noun A species of divination by atmospheric phenomena, chiefly by thunder and lightning, which was held in high estimation by the Romans.
margaritomancy: noun Divination by pearls.
maculomancy: noun Alternative form of moleomancy.
moleomancy: noun Divination by interpreting moles on the body, supposedly developed by the Greek physician Hippocrates.
molybdomancy: noun Divination by means of the behavior of molten lead, conclusions being based on the number, form, etc., of the drops.
necyomancy: noun Alternative form of necromancy.
necromancy: noun Divination by calling up the spirits of the dead and conversing with them; the pretended summoning of apparitions of the dead in order that they may answer questions. noun Divination involving the dead or death. noun Loosely, any sorcery or witchcraft, especially involving death or the dead, particularly sorcery involving raising or reanimating the dead.
nephomancy: noun Divination by use of the movement of clouds.
nomancy: noun The art or practice of divining the destiny of persons by the letters which form their names.
osteomancy: noun divination by means of bones
ornithomancy: noun Divination by means of birds; ornithoscopy; augury.
ophiomancy: noun The art of divining or predicting events by serpents, as by their manner of coiling themselves or of eating.
onychomancy: noun A kind of divination by means of the finger-nails.
oneiromancy: noun The practice of predicting the future through interpretation of dreams.
omphalomancy: noun Divination by means of the number of knots in the navel-string of a childโa fancied indication as to how many more children its mother will have.
onomancy: noun Same as onomatomancy. noun rare Divination by the letters of a name; nomancy.
pyromancy: noun Divination by fire or flames.
psychomancy: noun Divination by consulting the souls of the dead; necromancy.
psephomancy: noun Divination by means of pebbles drawn from a heap.
phyllomancy: noun Divination by means of the movements of leaves.
pessomancy: noun Divination by means of pebbles.
pegomancy: noun Divination by the agency of fountains.
rhapsodomancy: noun Divination by means of verses. noun Divination by reading a random passage from a poem.
rhabdomancy: noun Divination by means of a wand or rod, especially for discovering underground water or ores.
stichomancy: noun Divination by lines or passages in books taken at hazard; bibliomancy.
spodomancy: noun Divination by means of ashes.
spatulamancy: noun A method of divination by a sheepโs shoulder-blade.
spatilomancy: noun Divination by means of animal excrements and refuse.
spasmatomancy: noun Divination from spasmodic or involuntary movements, as of the muscles, features, or limbs.
sideromancy: noun A species of divination performed by burning straws, etc., upon red-hot iron, and observing their bendings, figures, sparkling, and burning.
selenomancy: noun divination by the appearance and phases of the moon. Similar to lunomancy.
sciomancy: noun Divination by means of the shades of the dead; psychomancy. noun Divination by means of shadows.
scatomancy: noun Divination or diagnosis of disease by inspection of excrement. Compare scatoscopy.
scapulimancy: noun Divination by means of a shoulder-blade: same as omoplatoscopy.
tyromancy: noun Divination by means of cheese.
theriomancy: noun Divination by observation of beasts.
theomancy: noun Divination drawn from the responses of oracles, or from the predictions of sibyls and others supposed to be inspired immediately by some divinity.
tephramancy: noun Same as tephromancy. noun Divination by the ashes of the altar on which a victim had been consumed in sacrifice.
tasseomancy: noun divination with tea leaves
tephromancy: noun Augury depending on the inspection of the ashes of a sacrifice.
uromancy: noun Diagnosis and prognosis of disease by inspection of the urine.
xylomancy: noun divination by means of pieces of burning wood
