ornithomancy

English

Etymology

ornitho- +‎ -mancy

Noun

ornithomancy (uncountable)

  1. Divination by means of birds, especially from their behaviour, flight, vocalisations, etc.
    • 1840 April, Thomas de Quincey, “Modern Superstition”, in Blackwoods Magazine, page 564, column 2:
      This chapter in the great volume of superstition was indeed cultivated with unusual solicitude amongst the Pagans - ornithomancy (or the derivation of omens from the motions of birds) grew into an elaborate science.
    • 1880, James Grant, The Mysteries of all Nations, Leith: Reid & Son, page 380:
      Ornithomancy was a popular way of searching into futurity.

Translations
This article is issued from Wiktionary. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.