Definify.com

Webster 1913 Edition

Botanomancy

Bot′a-no-manˊcy

,
Noun.
[
Botany
+
-mancy
: cf. F.
botanomantie
.]
An ancient species of divination by means of plants, esp. sage and fig leaves.

Webster 1828 Edition

Botanomancy

BOTANOM'ANCY

,
Noun.
An ancient species of divination by means of plants, especially sage and fig leaves. Persons wrote their names and questions on leaves, which they exposed to the wind, and as many of the letters as remained in their places were taken up, and being joined together, contained an answer to the question.

Definition 2024

botanomancy

botanomancy

English

Alternative forms

  • batanomancy
  • botinomancy
  • botomancy
  • botonomancy

Noun

botanomancy ‎(uncountable)

  1. Divination by plants. A form of pyromancy in which tree branches and leaves are burnt. Branches of brier and vervain were used, the question was etched into the branch.
  2. also referred to as tea-leaf reading, or tasseomancy.

Quotations

"Diuination generally was done by diuers means...or by Hearbes, Botinomancy, the witches magicke." -- Vives in J. Healey Saint Augustine of the Citie of God, 1610
"By Botomancy, for the nonce I have a few Leaves in reserve." -- Urquhart translating Rabelais Gargantua & Pantagruel iii. xxv., 1660
"A method of divination by means of burning the branches of vervein and briar, upon which were carved the questions of the practitioner." -- L. Spence Encyc. Occult, 1920

Related terms

anthomancy, daphnomancy, dendromancy, floromancy, foliomancy, and sycomancy.

pyromancy

Etymology

From botany +‎ -mancy.

Similar Results