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#156646 03/06/06 11:45 AM
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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.

Last edited by Person_Man; 03/06/06 11:59 AM.
#156647 03/06/06 11:48 AM
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Spatulamancy? Sounds like kitchen witchery to me!

#156648 03/06/06 11:58 AM
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Spatulamancy is divination using the shoulder blade of an animal (click the link for an exhaustive dilation on my crude definition).

Last edited by Person_Man; 03/06/06 12:07 PM.
#156649 03/06/06 12:04 PM
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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?

#156650 03/06/06 12:10 PM
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Here's a good link.

#156651 03/06/06 02:18 PM
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PM, I wonder how many of these are real words and how many were invented by this dictionary to describe specific actions.

#156652 03/06/06 03:47 PM
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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.

#156653 03/06/06 04:08 PM
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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.

#156654 03/06/06 04:22 PM
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>>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.

Last edited by belMarduk; 03/06/06 04:31 PM.
#156655 03/06/06 04:58 PM
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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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