armomancy

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English

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Etymology

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From Latin armus (shoulder blade) +‎ -mancy.

Noun

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armomancy (uncountable)

  1. Divination using the shoulder blade of an animal. It was taken from a dead animal and thrown into a fire, and the cracks formed in the bone were then interpreted.
  2. Divination through inspecting one's shoulders. In ancient times, this inspection was to see whether a human was a suitable sacrifice to the gods.

Synonyms

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References

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  • "Armomancy, divining by the shoulders of beasts." -- Coles An Eng. Dict, 1676
  • 1973, Walter B. Gibson, Litzka R. Gibson, The Complete Illustrated Book of Divination and Prophecy, London: Souvenir Press, published 1987, →ISBN, page 312:
    ARMOMANCY: A long-forgotten mode of divining suitable candidates for sacrificial rites by inspecting them physically. Any modern survival of such practices is probably computerized rather than divinatory.