Talk:tasseography

Author Cleo Coyle has written a series of mysteries (On what Grounds, Throught the Grinder, etc) in which she uses the term tasseogrpahy to also mean the character's ability to read the 'coffee grounds' left in a person's cup (in styles of coffee preparation that put grounds into the cup). RJFJR 00:29, 30 September 2007 (UTC)

Seems like reasonable extension. In fact the Wikipedia article -- which stands a much better chance of being right than a definition here, due to the astronomical number of watchful eyeballs on WP -- states that tasseography pertains to reading "tea leaves, coffee grounds, or wine sediments." Please add a cite if you have one of those books handy. -- Visviva 05:06, 30 September 2007 (UTC)

citation: 2003 Cleo Coyle, "On what Grounds" →ISBN Page 150

"I know, I know! It sounds ridiculously medieval. Yet it is an ancient art, and coffee ground and tea leaf divination-collectively known as tasseography-is a little like interpreting a work of art."

Etymology

Would I be off-base to say this is probably a dog-Latin formation from French tasse (cup)? There is does not seem to be any Greek or Latin root *tasseo-, and AFAIK the French word is of Arabic (possibly Farsi?) origin. -- Visviva 05:06, 30 September 2007 (UTC)