cledonism

English

Etymology

Ancient Greek κληδών (klēdṓn, “an omen”) +‎ -ism

Noun

cledonism (uncountable)

1. Divination through the interpretation of words (written or spoken) encountered by chance.
   • 1885, The Journal of Philology, volume XIV, page 117:

     And indeed cledonism, or the putting of a prophetic sense on words spoken with another reference (John xi. 50 sq.) can never have been the business of a class of men (Jud. ix. 37, Jer. xxvii. 9, Micah v. 12), or been so marked a type of divination that Isaiah could speak of it as characteristically Philistine, and that Isa. lvii. 3 could found on it a name of opprobrium.

   • 1924 March, The Fortnightly Review, page 444:

     We shall find Cledonism stereotyped and converted into palpable lots in the most perfected of the lottery methods, that which uses written speech, phrases designated by chance and applied to a given interrogation.

Synonyms

• cledonomancy