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Previous Thread Next Thread Print Thread Page 1 of 3 1 2 3 Divination #156646 03/06/06 11:45 AM Joined: Mar 2006 Posts: 20 P Person_Man OP stranger OP Person_Man stranger P Joined: Mar 2006 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. Last edited by Person_Man; 03/06/06 11:59 AM. Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: Diviniation #156647 03/06/06 11:48 AM Joined: Mar 2005 Posts: 500 Northern Ontario, Canada E Elizabeth Creith addict Elizabeth Creith addict E Joined: Mar 2005 Posts: 500 Northern Ontario, Canada Spatulamancy? Sounds like kitchen witchery to me! Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: Diviniation #156648 03/06/06 11:58 AM Joined: Mar 2006 Posts: 20 P Person_Man OP stranger OP Person_Man stranger P Joined: Mar 2006 Posts: 20 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. Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: Diviniation #156649 03/06/06 12:04 PM Joined: Mar 2006 Posts: 20 P Person_Man OP stranger OP Person_Man stranger P Joined: Mar 2006 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? Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: Diviniation #156650 03/06/06 12:10 PM Joined: Mar 2006 Posts: 20 P Person_Man OP stranger OP Person_Man stranger P Joined: Mar 2006 Posts: 20 Here's a good link. Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: Diviniation #156651 03/06/06 02:18 PM Joined: Sep 2000 Posts: 2,891 B belMarduk Carpal Tunnel belMarduk Carpal Tunnel B Joined: Sep 2000 Posts: 2,891 PM, I wonder how many of these are real words and how many were invented by this dictionary to describe specific actions. Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: Diviniation #156652 03/06/06 03:47 PM Joined: Mar 2006 Posts: 20 P Person_Man OP stranger OP Person_Man stranger P Joined: Mar 2006 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. Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: Diviniation #156653 03/06/06 04:08 PM Joined: Apr 2000 Posts: 10,542 this too shall pass tsuwm Carpal Tunnel tsuwm Carpal Tunnel Joined: Apr 2000 Posts: 10,542 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. Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: Diviniation #156654 03/06/06 04:22 PM Joined: Sep 2000 Posts: 2,891 B belMarduk Carpal Tunnel belMarduk Carpal Tunnel B Joined: Sep 2000 Posts: 2,891 >>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. Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: Diviniation #156655 03/06/06 04:58 PM Joined: Oct 2005 Posts: 557 Dallas, TX M Myridon addict Myridon addict M Joined: Oct 2005 Posts: 557 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. Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Page 1 of 3 1 2 3 Moderated by  Jackie  Hop To General Topics ------  Information and announcements  Q&A about words  Wordplay and fun  Words and languages in schools  Miscellany  Weekly Themes  Looking for (writers, speakers,... (Old) Weekly themes. 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