rhabdomancy

English

WOTD – 18 February 2008

Etymology

rhabdo- +‎ -mancy, first attested in 1646. From Latin rhabdomantīa, from Ancient Greek ῥαβδομαντεία (rhabdomanteía), from ῥάβδος (rhábdos, “rod”) + μαντεία (manteía, “divination”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation, US) IPA^(key): /ˈɹæb.dəˌmæn.si/

• Audio (US)

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Noun

rhabdomancy (uncountable)

1. Divination with wands or rods, especially to use a divining rod to find things below the ground.

   Synonym: dowsing

   • 1936, Rollo Ahmed, The Black Art, London: Long, page 145:

     This question of buried treasure exercised the minds of ancient occultists considerably, and in connection with it there was frequently employed the art of Rhabdomancy, which was similar to that of water divining or water "dousing".

Related terms

• rhabdom
• rhabdomancer
• rhabdomantist

Translations

divination with wands and rods

• Catalan: rabdomància f
• German: Rhabdomantie f
• Italian: rabdomanzia (it) f
• Romanian: rabdomanție (ro) f
• Spanish: rabdomancia f