palmistry

/'pɑ:mistri/

Friendly

Word: Palmistry

Definition: Palmistry is a noun that refers to the practice of telling fortunes or predicting a person's future by examining the lines, shapes, and features of their hands, especially the palms.

Usage Instructions:

• How to Use: You can use "palmistry" when talking about fortune-telling or when discussing different methods of predicting the future. It is often associated with spirituality and mysticism.
• Example Sentence: "During the fair, I visited a booth where a woman practiced palmistry and read my future by looking at the lines on my palm."

Advanced Usage:

In a more advanced context, you might find "palmistry" discussed in literature or psychology when talking about the significance of hand shapes or lines in relation to personality traits or life events.

Word Variants:

• Palmist (noun): A person who practices palmistry.
  • Example: "The palmist predicted that I would travel soon."
• Palm (noun): Refers to the inner surface of the hand.
  • Example: "The lines on your palm can reveal a lot about your personality."

Different Meanings:

While "palmistry" specifically relates to fortune-telling, the individual word "palm" can refer to: 1. The inner part of the hand. 2. A type of tree (like a palm tree).

Synonyms:

• Chiromancy (a more formal term for palmistry)
• Hand reading

Idioms and Phrasal Verbs:

While there are no specific idioms or phrasal verbs directly related to "palmistry," you might encounter phrases like: - "To read someone's palms" meaning to perform palmistry. - "To take fate into one's own hands" which implies controlling one's own destiny, contrasting with relying on palmistry.

Academic

Noun

1. telling fortunes by lines on the palm of the hand

Synonyms

• palm reading
• chiromancy
• chirology