Dactyliomancy

/ˌdæktɪliˈɒmænsi/ noun

Definition

Divination or fortune-telling using fingers or finger-counting, an ancient mystical practice.

Etymology

From Greek daktylos (finger) + manteia (divination). This term refers to occult practices from antiquity where practitioners would read finger bones or count on fingers to predict the future.

Kelly Says

Medieval fortune-tellers used finger-based counting systems that were so complex they could predict everything from harvests to royal marriages—fingers were basically ancient calculators before numbers existed.

Related Words

Explore More Words

Get the Word Orb API

Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.