apantomancy
English
Etymology
From Ancient Greek απαντώ (apantṓ, “I encounter”) and μαντεία (manteía, “prophecy”)
Noun
apantomancy (uncountable)
- Divination by chance meetings with any objects that present themself, most commonly animals; for example, the superstition associated with a black cat crossing one's path.
- 1920, Lewis Spence, An Encyclopædia of Occultism:
- Apantomancy: Divination by means of any objects which happen to present themselves. To this class belong the omens drawn from chance meetings with a hare, an eagle, etc.
- 1961, H.E. Wedeck, Treasury of Witchcraft:
- Even objects that lie about haphazardly were fit for mantic purposes. The prcatice was called apantomancy.
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