zoomancy, n.

zoomancy
http://www.oed.com/dictionary/zoomancy_n%3Ftab%3Dmeaning_and_use
Revised 2017

# zoomancynoun

## Factsheet

### What does the noun zoomancy mean?

There is one meaning in OED's entry for the noun zoomancy. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definition, usage, and quotation evidence.

### How is the noun zoomancy pronounced?

#### British English

/ˈzuːə(ʊ)man(t)si/
ZOO-oh-man-see
/ˈzəʊə(ʊ)man(t)si/
ZOH-oh-man-see

#### U.S. English

/ˈzoʊəˌmæn(t)si/
ZOH-uh-man-see
/ˈzuəˌmæn(t)si/
ZOO-uh-man-see

### Where does the noun zoomancy come from?

Earliest known use

1880s

The earliest known use of the noun zoomancy is in the 1880s.

OED's earliest evidence for zoomancy is from 1888, in the writing of Helena Blavatsky, founder of theosophy.

### Nearby entries

1. zoologize, v. 1830–
2. zoologizing, n. 1815–
3. zoology, n. 1663–
4. zoom, n. 1917–
5. zoom, v.¹ 1886–
6. Zoom, v.² 2014–
7. zoom, int. 1856–
8. zoomable, adj. 1972–
9. zoomagnetism, n. 1824–
10. zooman, n. 1871–
11. zoomancy, n.1888–
12. zoomania, n. 1807–
13. zoomantist, n. 1861
14. Zoomar, n. 1946–
15. zoomechanical, adj. 1897
16. zoomechanics, n. 1888–1903
17. zoomelanin, n. 1858–
18. zoometric, adj. 1892–
19. zoometry, n. 1878–
20. zooming, n. 1892–
21. zooming, adj. 1904–

## Etymology

Compare post-classical Latin zoomantia (17th cent. or earlier); compare earlier zoomantist n.

## Meaning & use

1. 1888–
   Divination by observing the actions of animals.
   1. 1888

      > Why should so many generations have believed in divination by birds, and even in zoomancy.

      H. P. Blavatsky, Secret Doctrine vol. I. i.ii. vi. 362
   2. 1912

      > Official zoömancy and orniscopy have, of course, always consisted principally in observation and study of aberrations of animals from their common habits and shapes.

      J. J. M. de Groot, Relig. in China vii. 275
   3. 2001

      > Rice listed sixty-seven varieties, from divination by air, or Aeromancy..and Zoomancy (living creatures).

      D. Carlyon, Dan Rice 101
   occult
   1. wiel Old English–1275
      Sorcery; trickery. In Old English also: divination.
   2. divine c1330
      Soothsaying; conjecture; divination, n.
   3. divining c1340–
      The action of divine, v.. Soothsaying, prophecy, divination.
   4. divination c1374–
      The action or practice of divining; the foretelling of future events or discovery of what is hidden or obscure by supernatural or magical means…
   5. divinail c1386–1484
      Divining, soothsaying, divination.
   6. sortilege a1387–
      The practice of casting lots in order to decide something or to forecast the future; divination based on this procedure or performed in some other…
   7. sortilegy a1387–
      Divination by the casting or drawing of lots or otherwise; = sortilege, n.¹ 1.
   8. divinity 1481–1601
      = divination, n. 1. Obsolete. rare.
   9. matesy 1543
      Probably: divination.
   10. divinement 1579
       The action of divining; divination.
   11. divinesse 1594–1605
       a. Divination. b. Divineness, divinity; divine quality or character.
   12. predivination 1603–11
       The divining of events beforehand.
   13. observating 1652
       Divination, augury; = observation, n. II.5d.
   14. sortiary 1653
       = sortilege, n.¹ 1.
   15. fatidicency 1693
       A method of foretelling fate; divination.
   16. fatiloquency 1693
   17. pessomancy 1727–
       Divination by means of pebbles.
   18. mantology 1774–
       The art or practice of divination.
   19. scyphomancy 1855–
       Divination by means of a cup.
   20. manticism 1861–
       The art or practice of divination.
   21. zoomancy 1888–
       Divination by observing the actions of animals.
   22. mantic 1891–93
       The art or practice of divination; = manticism, n. Obsolete. rare.
   23. tree-divination 1921–
       Divination by listening to the rustling of the leaves of a tree supposed to be the seat of a deity.
   View in Historical Thesaurus

## Pronunciation

### British English

/ˈzuːə(ʊ)man(t)si/
ZOO-oh-man-see
/ˈzəʊə(ʊ)man(t)si/
ZOH-oh-man-see

### U.S. English

/ˈzoʊəˌmæn(t)si/
ZOH-uh-man-see
/ˈzuəˌmæn(t)si/
ZOO-uh-man-see

####

##### Consonants

- ppea
- ttea
- kkey
- bbuy
- ddye
- ɡguy
- tʃchore
- dʒjay
- ffore
- θthaw
- ssore
- ʃshore
- vvee
- ðthee
- zzee
- ʒbeige
- xloch
- hhay
- llay
- ɬrhingyll
- rray
- wway
- jyore
- mmay
- nnay
- ŋsing

Some consonants can take the function of the vowel in unstressed syllables. Where necessary, a syllabic marker diacritic is used, hence /ˈpɛtl/ but /ˈpɛtl̩i/.

##### Vowels

- iːfleece
- ihappy
- ɪkit
- ɛdress
- atrap, bath
- ɑːstart, palm, bath
- ɒlot
- ɔːthought, force
- ʌstrut
- ʊfoot
- uːgoose
- əletter
- əːnurse
- ɪənear
- ɛːsquare
- ʊəcure
- eɪface
- ʌɪpride
- aʊmouth
- əʊgoat
- ɔɪvoice
- ãgratin
- ɒ̃salon
- ᵻ(/ɪ/-/ə/)
- ᵿ(/ʊ/-/ə/)

##### Other symbols

- The symbol ˈ at the beginning of a syllable indicates that that syllable is pronounced with primary stress.
- The symbol ˌ at the beginning of a syllable indicates that that syllable is pronounced with secondary stress.
- Round brackets ( ) in a transcription indicate that the symbol within the brackets is optional.

View the pronunciation model here.

####

##### Consonants

- ppea
- ttea
- kkey
- bbuy
- ddye*
- ɡguy
- tʃchore
- dʒjay
- ffore
- θthaw
- ssore
- ʃshore
- vvee
- ðthee
- zzee
- ʒbeige
- xloch
- hhay
- llay
- rray
- wway
- jyore
- mmay
- nnay
- ŋsing

* /d/ also represents a 'tapped' /t/ as in

Some consonants can take the function of the vowel in unstressed syllables. Where necessary, a syllabic marker diacritic is used, hence /ˈpɛd(ə)l/ but /ˈpɛdl̩i/.

##### Vowels

- ifleece, happy
- ɪkit
- ɛdress
- ætrap, bath
- ɑlot, palm, cloth, thought
- ɑrstart
- ɔcloth, thought
- ɔrnorth, force
- ʊfoot
- ugoose
- əstrut, comma
- ərnurse, letter
- ɪ(ə)rnear
- ɛ(ə)rsquare
- ʊ(ə)rcure
- eɪface
- aɪpride
- aʊmouth
- oʊgoat
- ɔɪvoice
- ɑ̃gratin
- æ̃salon
- ᵻ(/ɪ/-/ə/)
- ᵿ(/ʊ/-/ə/)

##### Other symbols

- The symbol ˈ at the beginning of a syllable indicates that that syllable is pronounced with primary stress.
- The symbol ˌ at the beginning of a syllable indicates that that syllable is pronounced with secondary stress.
- Round brackets ( ) in a transcription indicate that the symbol within the brackets is optional.

View the pronunciation model here.

####

Simple text respell breaks words into syllables, separated by a hyphen. The syllable which carries the primary stress is written in capital letters. This key covers both British and U.S. English Simple Text Respell.

##### Consonants

b, d, f, h, k, l, m, n, p, r, s, t, v, w and z have their standard English values

- gguy
- jjay
- yyore
- chchore
- khloch
- shshore
- ththaw
- dhthee
- zhbeige

##### Vowels

- atrap
- ahpalm
- airsquare
- arstart
- arrcarry (British only)
- awthought
- ayface
- a(ng)gratin
- edress
- eefleece
- eerdeer
- errmerry
- ikit
- ighpride
- irrmirror
- olot (British only)
- ohgoat
- oogoose
- oorcure
- orforce
- orrsorry (British only)
- owmouth
- oyvoice
- o(ng)salon
- ustrut
- uhletter
- urnurse
- urrhurry
- uufoot

Originally published as part of the entry for zoo-, comb. form

zoo-, comb. form was revised in June 2017.