palmistry
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of palmistry
1375–1425; late Middle English pawmestry, equivalent to pawm palm 1 + -estry (origin obscure; cf. -y 3)
Explanation
A fortune teller who looks closely at the lines on your palm and predicts your future practices palmistry. Palmistry is also called "palm reading." If you decide to master the art of palmistry, you'll learn about certain palm lines like the "life line" and the "heart line," which run through the middle of your palm, as well as subtler creases like "union lines," said to predict romantic relationships. The idea that palmistry can predict the future or reveal secrets about your character are ancient but unproven — most people consider it a pseudoscience, or an unscientific belief.
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
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.
From The New Yorker • Apr. 10, 2017
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.
