Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word
armomancy. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
armomancy, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
armomancy in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
armomancy you have here. The definition of the word
armomancy will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
armomancy, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
English
Etymology
From Latin armus (“shoulder blade”) + -mancy.
Noun
armomancy (uncountable)
- Divination using the shoulder blade of an animal. It was taken from a dead animal and thrown into a fire, and the cracks formed in the bone were then interpreted.
- Divination through inspecting one's shoulders. In ancient times, this inspection was to see whether a human was a suitable sacrifice to the gods.
Synonyms
References
- "Armomancy, divining by the shoulders of beasts." -- Coles An Eng. Dict, 1676
1973, Walter B. Gibson, Litzka R. Gibson, The Complete Illustrated Book of Divination and Prophecy, London: Souvenir Press, published 1987, →ISBN, page 312:ARMOMANCY: A long-forgotten mode of divining suitable candidates for sacrificial rites by inspecting them physically. Any modern survival of such practices is probably computerized rather than divinatory.