axinomancy
Definitions
from The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- noun (noun) An ancient kind of divination for the detection of crime by means of an ax or axes.
Examples
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So great was ancient man's reverence for the axe that a form of divination, called axinomancy, was developed which was used to discover the perpetrators of great crimes.
Bill Fritts, 'Adventure with Axe and Tree,' Sarasota Herald-Tribune, December 3, 1967
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Axinomancy, practised by the Greeks more particularly for the purpose of discovering criminals. An axe poised upon a stake, or an agate on a red-hot axe, was supposed by its movement to indicate the offender. Or the names of suspected persons were called out, and the movement of the axe at a particular name was understood to certify guilt.
Note
‘Axinomancy’ comes from the Greek ‘axine’ and ‘manteia,’ oracle, divination.
