-mancy, -mancer, -mantic, -mantical
(Greek: used as a suffix; divination, prophecy, fortune telling; to interpret signs so “practical” decisions can be made [related to -mania])
It isn't so much the things we don't know that gets us into trouble. It's the things we know that aren't so.
If you keep on saying things are going to be bad, you have a good chance of being a prophet.
This mode of divination is of great antiquity in the Orient, particularly among the Chinese.
Shapes formed by the swirl of a spring or the play of a fountain were also given appropriate interpretations.
The stones were either thrown out after mixing in a bag or drawn out at random. The same system may be used with colored marbles, giving each type a special interpretation and drawing one from a bag.
It exists today in the act of blowing out the candles on a [festival] birthday cake.
2. Etymology: mantis comes from the Greek word Mantes for "prophet" or "fortune teller".
It is estimated that there are about 2,300 species of praying mantids world-wide; most are tropical or subtropical, but several species live in temperate climates; such as, that of the northern United States, central Europe, and Siberia.
Some texts refer to the European mantis, or Mantis religiosa, as the most common praying mantis in European countries.
Cross references of word families that are related directly, or indirectly, to: "divination, diviner; seer, soothsayer, prophecy, prophesy, prophet": augur-; auspic-; fa-, fate; Fates in action; futur-; omen; -phemia; sorc-, sorcery; vati-.
A cross reference of other word family units that are related directly, or indirectly, to: "chance, luck, fate": aleato-; auspic-; cad-; fortu-; serendipity; sorc; temer-; tycho-.