Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. The art or act of foretelling future events or revealing occult knowledge by means of augury or an alleged supernatural agency.
- n. An inspired guess or presentiment.
- n. Something that has been divined.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. The act of divining; the pretended art of foretelling by supernatural or magical means that which is future, or of discovering that which is hidden or obscure. The practice of divination is very ancient, and has played an important part in the theologies of almost all nations. The first attempt to raise divination to the dignity of a science is attributed to the Chaldeans. The innumerable forms which have been in use for thousands of years may be reduced to two classes: that effected by a kind of inspiration or divine afflatus; and
- n. Figuratively, a sort of instinctive prevision; a presentiment and knowledge of a future event or events; conjectural presage: omen.
- n. In anc. Rom. law: A transaction in a criminal suit, in which one of several accusers of one and the same person was chosen as the chief prosecutor in the case, the others joining in it only as subscribers.
- n. The speech or oration asking authority to fill such a rôle. Synonyms Prognostication, etc. See
prediction .
Wiktionary
- n. The act of divining; a foreseeing or foretelling of future events.
- n. The pretended art of discovering secrets or the future by preternatural means.
- n. An indication of what is future or secret; augury omen; conjectural presage; prediction.
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. The act of divining; a foreseeing or foretelling of future events; the pretended art discovering secret or future by preternatural means.
- n. An indication of what is future or secret; augury omen; conjectural presage; prediction.
WordNet 3.0
- n. successful conjecture by unusual insight or good luck
- n. the art or gift of prophecy (or the pretense of prophecy) by supernatural means
- n. a prediction uttered under divine inspiration
Examples
“Myomancy (divination from the movements of mice) and other divination terms.”
“More to the point, however, no divination is required to conclude that it is defendant's promotional efforts in publicizing her close encounters with these spirits which fostered the home's reputation in the community.”
“IMHO, any religion that starts out with the idea that Hebrews migrated to North America in 600 B.C. and that its essential truths were uncovered by some guy in upstate New York in the 1820's by deciphering buried golden tablets written in Egyptian (which are now, tragically, not available for inspection) using divination is right up there with the, er, imaginative stylings of L. Ron Hubbard.”
“Hence the word divination has a sinister signification.”
The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume 5: Diocese-Fathers of Mercy
“Its leaves are used in divination to find out witches, thieves, liars, etc., and it is the chosen haunt of ghosts and hobgoblins of all sorts – hence its frequent appearance in folk-lore.”
“When they hear that Nebuchadnezzar by his divination is directed to”
“I think we each would’ve received O. W.L.s in divination, don’t you?”
“For this we know is the prize of magical incantations, namely divination and prophecy.”
“Furthermore all sacrifices and the whole province of divination, which is the art of communion between gods and men — these, I say, are concerned only with the preservation of the good and the cure of the evil love.”
“Furthermore all sacrifices and the whole province of divination, which is the art of communion between gods and men-these, I say, are concerned with the preservation of the good and the cure of the evil love.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘divination’.
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probablyankita's list
Words are all I have to take your heart away
apartheid, techno-klutz, logorrheic, gordian knot, anodyne, odor of sanctity, finders keepers, foot-in-mouth dis..., dutch uncle, masquerade, smoke signals, furtive glance and 320 more...
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Witchcraft, monsters, and the macabre
lamia, onomancy, divination, hagiolatry, jackalope, lycanthrope, thaumaturge, tzigane, chthonic, thaumaturgic, revenant, soucouyant and 4 more...
quotato successful conjecture by unusual insight or good luck, conversely; good insight or unusual luck... Jul 22, 2008