Gastromancy
noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 Divination by interpreting the sounds and signs of the belly. uncountable
"1693 Urquhart translating Rabelais Gargantua & Pantagruel iii. xxv. By Gastromancy, which kind of ventral Fatiloquency was for a long time together used in Ferrara by Lady Giacoma Rodogina, the Eugastrimythian Prophetess."
- 2 Divination by noting magical visions in large-bellied glasses, sometimes described as a technique where a child is placed in front of a glass filled with water, the images in the glass then interpreted. Similar to crystallomancy. uncountable
"1610 Vives in J. Healey Saint Augustine of the Citie of God Diuination generally was done by diuers means..Hydromancy..done either in a glasse bottle full of water, wherein a Childe must looke, (and this is called, Gastromancy of the glasses belly)..."
Example
More examples"1693 Urquhart translating Rabelais Gargantua & Pantagruel iii. xxv. By Gastromancy, which kind of ventral Fatiloquency was for a long time together used in Ferrara by Lady Giacoma Rodogina, the Eugastrimythian Prophetess."
Etymology
From gastro- + -mancy.
More for "gastromancy"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.