chiromancy

American  

[kahy-ruh-man-see] / ˈkaɪ rəˌmæn si /

noun

1. palmistry.

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chiromancy British  

/ ˈkaɪrəˌmænsɪ /

noun

1. another word for palmistry

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Other Word Forms

• chiromancer noun
• chiromantic adjective
• chiromantical adjective

Etymology

Origin of chiromancy

First recorded in 1520–30; chiro- + -mancy

Explanation

Chiromancy, or palmistry, is the art of reading palms to tell someone’s future. If you are in doubt about your future prom date or business venture, let chiromancy be your guide. If you like astrology and tarot cards, you might be interested in chiromancy, which involves looking at a person’s palms to determine their destiny. Chiromancy is a form of fortune-telling, and chiromancers look closely at the different lines on your palm to make predictions about your career, love life, and happiness. This is a rare word for what is usually called palmistry or palm-reading these days.

Example Sentences

Séances were a fad; so were hypnotism, chiromancy and telepathy.

From New York Times • Dec. 29, 2016

By the 17 century, the great age of wars of religion, palmistry, and chiromancy, knowledge of and on the hand would become major sciences.

From Slate • Nov. 15, 2012

Substituting an anatomical science�palmar dermatoglyphics�for the ancient pseudo-science of chiromancy.

From Time Magazine Archive

They pretend to a knowledge of chiromancy, but know nothing about it.

From The Philippine Islands, 1493-1803 — Volume 04 of 55 1576-1582 Explorations by Early Navigators, Descriptions of the Islands and Their Peoples, Their History and Records of the Catholic Missions, as Related in Contemporaneous Books and Manuscripts, Showing the Political, Economic, Commercial and Religious Conditions of Those Islands from Their Earliest Relations with European Nations to the Beginning of the Nineteenth Century by Robertson, James Alexander

Elsie was cross at some of the things she said, for she firmly believes in chiromancy.

From Cicely and Other Stories by Gallagher, Sears