Catoptromancy
noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 Divination by use of mirrors, or other reflective surfaces. uncountable
"1660, Urquhart tr. Rabelais, Gargantua & Pantagruel iii. xxv. Her Trippa going on in his Discourse, said by Catoptromancy, likewise held in such account by the Emperor Didius Julianus, That by means thereof, he ever and anon foresaw all that which at any time did happen or befal unto him: Thou shalt not need to put on thy Spectacles; for in a Mirror thou wilt see her as clearly and manifestly Nebrundiated, and Billibodring-it, as if I should shew it in the Fountain of the Temple of Minerva near Parras."
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
More examples"1660, Urquhart tr. Rabelais, Gargantua & Pantagruel iii. xxv. Her Trippa going on in his Discourse, said by Catoptromancy, likewise held in such account by the Emperor Didius Julianus, That by means thereof, he ever and anon foresaw all that which at any time did happen or befal unto him: Thou shalt not need to put on thy Spectacles; for in a Mirror thou wilt see her as clearly and manifestly Nebrundiated, and Billibodring-it, as if I should shew it in the Fountain of the Temple of Minerva near Parras."
Etymology
From the Ancient Greek κάτοπτρον (kátoptron, “mirror”) + -mancy.
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.