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Synonyms

palmistry

American  
[pah-muh-stree] / ˈpɑ mə stri /

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 British  
/ 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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • palmist noun

Etymology

Origin of palmistry

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

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

His now-defunct TikTok account, which has more than 300,000 followers, claims to make predictions based on astrology and palmistry.

From BBC • Apr. 25, 2025

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

From The New Yorker • Oct. 24, 2019

The name came from a random page in a Victorian book of palmistry.

From New York Times • Jun. 23, 2016

It sounds like seaside palmistry, but the firm claims candidates get more interviews as a result.

From Economist • Oct. 1, 2015

The palmistry, the scriptology, the rest of their esoterica.

From "Native Speaker" by Chang-rae Lee

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.