-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.

—Artemus Ward (1834-1867)

If you keep on saying things are going to be bad, you have a good chance of being a prophet.

—Isaac Bashevis Singer (1904-1991),
Polish-born American journalist, writer.
eychnomancy (s) (noun) (no pl)
Divination with lamps: Joe had an oil lamp at home and thought that if he put the art of eychnomancy into practice, he would find the answer to his question by observing the movement of the flame in the lamp
felidomancy (s) (noun) (no pl)
Divination by observing the behavior, appearance, or actions of a cat (or cats): In felidomancy, the interpretation of watching cats and their movements can ranging in predictions regarding changes in the weather to unexpected visitors.

Dating from the Middle Ages, many of these have survived as popular superstitions.

floromancy (s) (noun) (no pl)
Divination with flowers or plants, including their colors, petals, and time and place of planting: Floromancy is the belief that flowers radiate vibrations and have curative properties in healing disease. Many omens concerning the gathering of flowers at Midsummer’s Eve have survived to modern times, and the “good luck” commonly attributed to the finding of a four-leaf clover falls into this category.

foliomancy (s) (noun) (no pl)
Divination with tea leaves: After Jane had made some tea using mint leaves, she wanted to try out foliomancy and see what her future might be by interpreting the formations they made in the tea pot.
gastromancy (s) (noun), gastromancies (pl)
1. Telling someone's fortune by listening to stomach sounds which were interpreted as words: Gastromancy often included ventriloquism, which sounded very low and hollow, making people think that it was coming from the stomach.
2. The art of fortune-telling by using a clear, "pot-bellied" glass bowl which was full of water and placed in front of candles: This form of gastromancy preceded crystall-ball gazing as another type of telling fortunes.
3. Etymology: from Greek gastromanteia, "divination by the belly"; consisting of gaster, "pot-belly" + mant-eia, "power of divination" or "fortune telling"

The element, manteia, or -mancy, is related to Latin mens, mentis, "mind, soul, feelings".

gelomancy (s) (noun) (no pl)
Divination by translating hysterical laughter into coherent terms: Perhaps gelomancy was a carry-over from ancient oracles, where people inhaled natural gas from volcanic fissures and babbled incoherent utterances which gifted listeners interpreted as prophecies that determined the fate of nations.

geomancy (s) (noun), geomancies (pl)
Divination or prophecy derived from the pattern made when earth is thrown down onto the ground, or lines drawn in the dirt: Geomancy is a foretelling or prediction by scattering pebbles, dust, sand grains, or seeds on the ground and interpreting their shapes and positions.

Geomancy includes making marks on the ground with a stick (now with a pencil or pen on paper).

Geomancy is still important by modern-day Chinese in Hong Kong and other places before construction of a building takes place.

graphomancy (s) (noun) (no pl)
Divination, or fortune-telling, with handwriting analysis: Since Lynn was very good at calligraphy, her mother thought that the art of graphomancy could tell them that Lynn would be a famous artist!
gyromancy (s) (noun), gyromancies (pl)
Divination by walking in a circle until dizziness which caused a person to fall and this was interpreted in various ways: In gyromancy, a circle of letters can be used, and when a person walking around on this circle becomes dizzy and falls down on a letter, or letters, the significance of the letter, or letters, can then be interpreted.
Gyomancy or whirling-around divination.
There certainly is a message for both the diviner and
the subjects who are passing out in this divination exhibition.

Word Info image © ALL rights reserved.

Originally, it was performed by people who moved around a circle marked with letters or symbols, until they became dizzy and stumbled, thus spelling out words or enabling a diviner to interpret the symbols. Some authorities say that it was from this concept that originated from the wild, whirling dances by fanatics who uttered prophecies after collapsing in a state of complete exhaustion.

halomancy (s) (noun) (no pl)
Divination with the use of salt: Halomancy involves the interpretation of the shapes which are formed after salt is thrown onto a surface or by throwing salt into flames and observing the nature of the flames, their color, speed, and direction.

haruspimancy (s) (noun) (no pl)
Divination by "reading" the livers of sacrificed victims that can either be animals or human: Jane read in an article about haruspimancy in which a prophecy was made by interpreting the entrails of a goat. .
heliomancy (s) (noun), heliomancies (pl)
Divination by observing and interpreting the various features of the sun: Heliomancy concerns a vision of the future by watching omens in the sun, created by its rays, light, and the shadows it makes.
hematomancy, haematomancy (s) (noun) /no pl)
Divination with the use of blood: Susan told her friend that they could foretell their future by the way of hematomancy which involved looking at and drawing an omen from their blood after pricking their fingers with a needle.
hidromancy (s) (noun) (no pl)
Outdated, divination with water; hydromancy: Jack and Jill watched the tides and ebbs and wondered if the aid of hidromancy would tell them if they were going to get that wonderful apartment by the seaside.
hieromancy (s) (noun) (no pl)
Divination from the observation of objects offered in religious sacrifices, or from sacred things: Hieromancy is a form of fortune-telling using sacrificial remains or sacred objects and observing the things offered as sacrifices, including entrails.

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-.