coscinomancy

English

Alternative forms

Most of these are erroneous and are not in use:

• choschinomancy
• choschinomancie
• coskinomancy
• koskinomancy
• cosinomancy
• coskiomancy
• cosnomancy
• coskniomancy
• coseinomancy

Etymology

Ancient Greek koskinomantis, "a diviner using a sieve", from koskinon, "a sieve".

Noun

coscinomancy (uncountable)

1. Divination by the use of a suspended sieve sometimes from tongs or shears. The movement of the sieve when a person's name or word is spoken is interpreted.
   • 1603 Christopher Heydon A Defence of Ivdiciall Astrolgie

     And as for Hydromancie, and Choschinomancie, they could vanish as superfluous, as were evident and ridiculous even to the ignorant.

   • 1660 Urquhart tr. Rabelais Gargantua & Pantagruel iii. xxv.

     By Coscinomancy, most religiously observed of old, amidst the Ceremonies of the ancient Romans. Let us have a Sieve and Shiers, and thou shalt see Devils.

   • 1913 Halliday Greek Div. x.

     To the same species of divinatory rites [i.e. those involving a swinging pendulum] belong the koskinomancy of Theokritos, familiar in England as the consultation of the sieve and shears, and the minor rites of axinomancy and sphondylomancy.