chiromancy

9.9

A way of telling someone's future by reading the lines on their palm

noun
/ˌkaɪrəˈmænsɪ/

: quiromancia

Although chiromancy is often dismissed as a pseudoscience, it remains popular in some cultures.

Examples

He developed an interest in chiromancy after reading a book about palm reading.
Have you ever tried chiromancy during a fair?
Many people visit practitioners of chiromancy in hopes of discovering what their future holds.
Many people believe in chiromancy as a way to foresee their future.
Many people consult a chiromancy expert to learn about their future based on the lines on their palms.
In ancient times, chiromancy was practiced by mystics who believed that the palms could reveal a person's destiny.
She became fascinated with chiromancy after attending a workshop on how to interpret the features of a palm.

Synonyms

palm reading

vschiromancy

1 4.9

A way to tell someone's future by looking at the lines and shape of their hand

is the same practice but described with an alternate expression

palmistry

vschiromancy

1 9.9

To read the lines on a person's hand to tell their future

is the same practice but expressed with a different term

chirology

vschiromancy

9.9

Reading the lines on a person's palm to predict their future or character

focuses only on predicting future rather than also judging character

Surface Forms

chiromancy singular

chiromancies plural

Morphology

chiromancy = chiro + mancy

Built from the Greek combining form 'chiro-' (hand) plus '-mancy' (divination); these combining forms are not productive or recognizable to an average B1 learner, so the meaning cannot be reliably derived from familiar English base words.

Etymology

Chiromancy comes from Greek parts: chiro- 'hand', as in chiropractor, and -mancy 'divination' or 'telling the future'. So, it literally means 'hand divination' and refers to reading the lines and shapes on a palm to predict a person's future.