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#156646 - 03/06/06 06:45 AM Divination
Person_Man stranger Registered: 03/05/06 Posts: 20	In a book I am reading I have come across an extraordinarily comprehensive list of words (with descriptions) for methods of divination (below). How many do you know? How many more are there? Quote: aeromancy alectryomancy aleuromancy alphitomancy amniomancy anthropomancy apantomancy arithmomancy armomancy aspidomancy astragalomancy astromancy axinomancy axinomancy batanomancy belomancy Bibliomancy capnomancy catopromancy causimonancy cephalonomancy ceromancy chaomancy cheromancy chiromancy choeromancy cledonomancy clidomancy coscinomancy crithomancy dactylomancy daphnomancy empyromancy enoptromancy extispiciomancy felidomancy gastromancy geloscomancy geomancy gyromancy halomancy haruspicy divination hippomancy hydromancy ichthyomancy kephalonomancy lecanomancy libanomancy lithomancy margaritomancy mechanomancy meteoromancy metopomancy moleomancy molybdomancy myomancy oenomancy omphalomancy onimancy onomancy onomatomancy onychomancy onymancy oömancy ornithomancy pegomancy phyllorhodomancy physiomancy plastromancy pyromancy rhabdomancy rhapsodomancy scapulomancy scatomancy sciomancy sideromancy spatulamancy sternomancy stichomancy stolisomancy sycomancy tasseomancy tephramancy tiromancy transatuaumancy tyromancy urimancy uromancy xylomancy zoomancy P.S. I'm happy to give the definition for any of these if you can't find it. Edited by Person_Man (03/06/06 06:59 AM)
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#156647 - 03/06/06 06:48 AM Re: Diviniation
Elizabeth Creith addict Registered: 03/22/05 Posts: 500 Loc: Northern Ontario, Canada	Spatulamancy? Sounds like kitchen witchery to me!
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#156648 - 03/06/06 06:58 AM Re: Diviniation
Person_Man stranger Registered: 03/05/06 Posts: 20	Spatulamancy is divination using the shoulder blade of an animal (click the link for an exhaustive dilation on my crude definition). Edited by Person_Man (03/06/06 07:07 AM)
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#156649 - 03/06/06 07:04 AM Re: Diviniation
Person_Man stranger Registered: 03/05/06 Posts: 20	Here's one of my favourites. Kephalonomancy. This is a method of determining guilt or innocence by placing burning coals upon the baked head of either an ass or a goat while the names of suspects are read aloud; If a crackling sound coincides with the utterance of a name, that person is guilty. Who needs a jury?
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#156650 - 03/06/06 07:10 AM Re: Diviniation
Person_Man stranger Registered: 03/05/06 Posts: 20	Here's a good link.
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#156651 - 03/06/06 09:18 AM Re: Diviniation
belMarduk Carpal Tunnel Registered: 09/28/00 Posts: 2888	PM, I wonder how many of these are real words and how many were invented by this dictionary to describe specific actions.
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#156652 - 03/06/06 10:47 AM Re: Diviniation
Person_Man stranger Registered: 03/05/06 Posts: 20	Quote: PM, I wonder how many of these are real words and how many were invented by this dictionary to describe specific actions. What's a real word? The cognates are logical. And as for the words themselves, all of them are recorded at least as early as the mid 1500s. And anyway, what word isn't invented to describe something? Hello.
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#156653 - 03/06/06 11:08 AM Re: Diviniation
tsuwm Carpal Tunnel Registered: 04/03/00 Posts: 10463 Loc: this too shall pass	Transatuaumancy: Divination through chance remarks overheard in a crowd. since 1500.. e.g. psst.. the Black Death is coming back.. don't pass it on.
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#156654 - 03/06/06 11:22 AM Re: Diviniation
belMarduk Carpal Tunnel Registered: 09/28/00 Posts: 2888	>>And anyway, what word isn't invented to describe something? Hello. Yes, but words are a means of communication. If someone simply invents a word, for the sake of inventing it, and it is not clear what it means, or is counter-intuitive, then it is a foolish thing to have done. For example, the Spatulamancy word you mention. This word is counter-intuitive because a shoulder-blade is a scapula NOT a spatula. So the person who invented that word was communicating improperly and it is an incorrect invention. ------------------------------------------------ EDIT: It's bugging me...I'm trying to figure out a better word than "incorrect" for the last sentence above. I mean that it is a word that isn't clear, there would be a better way of describing the type of devination, and that there is no point in inventing such a word if an other one would be clearer. So, I don't know if "incorrect" is the best word to use, but there you go, I can't think of the right term at this moment. Edited by belMarduk (03/06/06 11:31 AM)
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#156655 - 03/06/06 11:58 AM Re: Diviniation
Myridon addict Registered: 10/24/05 Posts: 557 Loc: Dallas, TX	Quote: For example, the Spatulamancy word you mention. This word is counter-intuitive because a shoulder-blade is a scapula NOT a spatula. Spatula is from spathe - a broad blade.
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