palmistry

[ pah-muh-stree ]

/ ˈpɑ mə stri /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR palmistry ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

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

Nearby words

palmetto, palmetto state, palmgren, palmic, palmira, palmistry, palmitate, palmitic, palmitic acid, palmitin, palmitoleic acid

Origin of palmistry

1375–1425; late Middle English pawmestry, equivalent to pawm palm¹ + -estry (origin obscure; cf. -y³)

Also called palm reading.

Related forms

palm·ist, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for palmistry

All you need is a competent plastic surgeon with an electric scalpel who has a basic knowledge of palmistry.
Your Future Is in the Palm of Your (Surgeon’s) Hand|Jake Adelstein, Nathalie-Kyoko Stucky|July 12, 2013|DAILY BEAST
So I bought a handbook on palmistry and, having absorbed it, set out for my next party full of confidence.
Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 158, April 7, 1920|Various
I am talking as if palmistry was a daily study with me, but that is not so.
The Tragedy of Pudd'nhead Wilson|Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens)
I believe in palmistry, because I have seen it verified in a hundred and one instances.
Byways of Ghost-Land|Elliott O'Donnell

The disciples of palmistry now claim for it something like what was earlier claimed for phrenology and physiognomy.
The Myths and Fables of To-Day|Samuel Adams Drake
She has slept scarcely any since our palmistry evening, but I did not discover the fact until last night.
Cicely and Other Stories|Annie Fellows Johnston

British Dictionary definitions for palmistry

palmistry

/ (ˈpɑːmɪstrɪ) /

noun

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

Derived Forms

palmist, noun

Word Origin for palmistry

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

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