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Glite Dictionary
crystal gazing

crystal gazing

9.9
An act of looking into a crystal ball to try to see the future or distant events
  • noun
  • /ˈkrɪstl ˈɡeɪzɪŋ/
translation icon : adivinación con cristal
  • The fortune teller practiced crystal gazing to predict her client's future.

Examples

  • Some people view crystal gazing as mere superstition rather than a scientific method.

  • She enjoys crystal gazing on quiet evenings.

  • During the séance, she tried crystal gazing to contact spirits from afar.

  • Many people believe in crystal gazing for insights.

  • The fortune teller practiced crystal gazing at her table, hoping to reveal the future to her clients.

  • During the séance, she engaged in crystal gazing to seek guidance about what lay ahead.

  • Some skeptics dismiss crystal gazing, believing it does not provide real insights into future events.

Synonyms

divination
vscrystal gazing
8 9.9

The act of trying to find the future using magic or signs

is one specific method using a crystal ball among many techniques
crystal-gazing
vscrystal gazing
9.9

Predicting the future by looking into a crystal ball or guessing about the future without real proof

is the same practice but written without a hyphenated form
soothsaying
vscrystal gazing
  • Archaic
9.9

Saying what will happen in the future using signs or magic

is a specific physical method using a crystal ball rather than the general art
vaticination
vscrystal gazing
  • Archaic
9.9

A prediction of future events said to come from a god

is a human practice using a crystal ball, not necessarily divinely inspired

Surface Forms

crystal gazing singular
crystal gazings plural

Morphology

crystal + gaze

The meaning is directly built from 'crystal' (an object typically used as a divinatory ball) and 'gazing' (looking intently), so a learner who knows both words can infer it refers to looking into a crystal to see visions. This compositional pattern (X-gazing = looking into X) and the cultural practice are cross-linguistically familiar, making the phrase readily comprehensible to a B1 learner.

Etymology

Crystal gazing comes from the image of someone staring into a clear glass ball to find pictures of what will happen. People thought that by gazing into a crystal they could 'see' 'the future', so today the phrase means trying to predict or imagine future events.