divination
div-uh-NAY-shun
/ˌdɪv.ɪˈneɪ.ʃən/
The practice of seeking knowledge of the future or the unknown by supernatural or spiritual means.
Implies reading patterns in nature, bones, cards, or trance states to discern hidden truths or future trajectories.
The story behind the word. From Latin 'divinare', meaning to be inspired by a god. It connects directly to the idea that foresight comes from tapping into divine knowledge.
Word relationships
- augury: Augury specifically refers to interpreting signs or omens (like bird flights), whereas divination is the general practice.
- soothsayer: Soothsayer is the person who foreells, whereas divination is the practice or technique itself.
Commonly confused with
- divinity: Divinity means divine nature or a deity, whereas divination is the act of seeking hidden foresight.
Word family
- divine (verb): To discover or foretell through spiritual insight.
- diviner (noun): One who practices divination.
Collocations
- practice divination
- art of divination
- divination ceremony
- method of divination
Example sentences
- "The healer performed a divination ceremony using polished river stones to discover the root cause of the village's drought." Anthropology
- "Roman augurs practiced divination by interpreting the flight patterns of birds over the city hills." Ancient history
Memory hook
DIVINE-ation = Asking the DIVINE to reveal what lies ahead. Spiritual foresight practice.
When not to use
Do not confuse with statistical forecasting or logical scientific prediction.
Fun facts
- In ancient China, scapulimancy (divination using animal shoulder bones) produced the earliest known Chinese writings on oracle bones.
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