Meanings
alternative carromancy
- uncountableDivination by pouring melted wax into water and interpreting the bubbles formed.
1660, Urquhart tr. Rabelais Gargantua & Pantagruel iii. xxv By Ceromancy, where, by the means of Wax dissolved into Water, thou shalt see the Figure, Poutrait and lively Representation of thy future Wife, and of her Fredin Fredaliatory Belly-thumping Blades.
1 more example
1983, Complete Bk Predictions. In ceromancy, melted wax is allowed to drip into a shallow dish of cold water, and the resulting shapes are interpreted. Ceromancy was very popular in the eighteenth century, when correspondence was normally fastened with sealing wax.
Synonyms: ceroscopy
Synonyms & antonyms
nounDivination by pouring melted wax into water and interpreting the bubbles formed.
Origin
- Ancient Greekκηρός“wax”
- Englishceromancy
From Ancient Greek κηρός (kērós, “wax”) + -mancy.
More words from Ancient Greek
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
ceromancy. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ceromancy
“ceromancy.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ceromancy. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “ceromancy,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ceromancy.
Source: ceromancy on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.