apantomancy

English

Etymology

From Ancient Greek ἀπαντάω (apantáō, “to encounter”) and μαντεία (manteía, “prophecy”).

Noun

apantomancy (uncountable)

1. Divination by chance meetings with any objects that present themselves, most commonly animals; for example, the superstition associated with a black cat crossing one's path.
   • 1920, Lewis Spence, An Encyclopædia of Occultism‎^[1]:

     Apantomancy: Divination by means of any objects which happen to present themselves. To this class belong the omens drawn from chance meetings with a hare, an eagle, etc.

   • 1961, H.E. Wedeck, Treasury of Witchcraft:

     Even objects that lie about haphazardly were fit for mantic purposes. The prcatice was called apantomancy.