hippomancy · noun — divination by the interpretation of the appearance and behaviour of horses. Their neighing and stamping are particularly noted. It carries an Arena rating of 1367, earned across 30 head-to-head judged battles.
Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, hippomancy ranks #1,491 of 17,152 for The Improbable, #1,646 of 17,152 for Best Fossil-Poetry Words, #2,367 of 17,151 for Most Whimsical Words, #3,088 of 17,143 for Most Vivid Words.
Why “hippomancy” is a great word
HIPPOMANCY — [Noun] Divination by interpreting the appearance, behavior, and sounds of horses. From the Ancient Greek hippos ("horse") and manteia ("divination, prophecy"). Unlike theriomancy, which interprets the actions of any beast, or augury, which is bound primarily to the flight of birds, hippomancy is an art of singular, earthbound focus. It is the nervous stamp of a warhorse before a campaign, a shrieking whinny heard as an omen at night, and the pattern of sweat on a flank read like a map of coming battle—a profound belief that truth is carried on hooves and exhaled into the wind, a final, animal counsel before the human world decides.
❧ Essay by Lexicurio’s AI · definition, etymology & citations from published sources
Etymology
From hippo- + -mancy.
noun
- Divination by the interpretation of the appearance and behaviour of horses. Their neighing and stamping are particularly noted.e.g.“1713 Fabricii Bibliographia Antiquaria xii.
Hippomantia ex hinnitu, fremitu, sudore..”
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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