Meanings
plural hydromancies · alternative ydromancy · alternative hydromancie · alternative hydromantie · alternative hydromanty
- uncountableusuallyDivination by water or other liquid.
Hydromancy was extensively practised by the Egyptian priests and sorcerers[.]
1936, Rollo Ahmed, The Black Art, London: Long, page 392 more examples
Hydromancy is the supposed art of divining by water. The Persians, according to Varro, invented it; Pythagoras and Numa Pompilius made use of it; and we still admire the like wonderful prognosticators.
1797, Encyclopædia Britannica, 3rd editionHydromancy, like many other methods of divination, seems to have originated in Babylonia and reached the Greco-Roman world via Egypt, in the first century b.c. or earlier.
1985, Georg Luck, Arcana Mundi, →ISBN
Origin
- Ancient Greekὑδρομαντεία
- Latinhydromantia
- Frenchhydromancie
- Englishhydromancy
From French hydromancie or Late Latin hydromantia, from Ancient Greek ὑδρομαντεία (hudromanteía); corresponding to hydro- + -mancy.
More words from French, Latin, Ancient Greek
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Finnish hydromantia
- hydromantiadivination by water or other liquid
French hydromancie
- hydromanciedivination by water or other liquid
Italian idromanzia
- idromanziadivination by water or other liquid
Latin hydromantīa
- hydromantīadivination by water or other liquid
Cite this entry
hydromancy. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hydromancy
“hydromancy.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hydromancy. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “hydromancy,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hydromancy.
Source: hydromancy on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.