palmistry

[pah-muh-stree]

noun

1. the art or practice of telling fortunes and interpreting character from the lines and configurations of the palm of a person's hand.

palmistry

/ ˈpɑːmɪstrɪ /

noun

1. Also called: chiromancy. the process or art of interpreting character, telling fortunes, etc, by the configuration of lines, marks, and bumps on a person's hand

Other Word Forms

• palmist noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of palmistry¹

1375–1425; late Middle English pawmestry, equivalent to pawm palm ¹ + -estry (origin obscure; -y ³ )

Word History and Origins

Origin of palmistry¹

C15 pawmestry, from paume _palm ¹ ; the second element is unexplained

Example Sentences

Evoking tarot, palmistry, and astrology, Saar privileges an overtly feminine way of processing uncertainty and disillusionment.

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For the spooky season this year, Etsy’s most popular trends — meaning the ones being searched most often on the site — include tarot cards, mysticism, true-crime themes and palmistry.

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To say, as Fukuyama does, that “the desire for status—megalothymia—is rooted in human biology” is the academic equivalent of palmistry.

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She consulted readers and priestesses in New Orleans and, after a bad breakup, received palmistry from a reader in Brooklyn.

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After explaining that she had picked up the precepts of medieval palmistry decades ago, from an art-historian neighbor whose specialty was Hieronymus Bosch, Atwood spent several disconcerting minutes poring over my hands.

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Related Words

• forecast 
• forecasting www.thesaurus.com
• guess 
• indicator 
• prognosis 
• prophecy