oneiromancy

oneiromancy
/oh nuy"reuh man'see/, n.
divination through dreams.
[1645-55; < Gk óneiro(s) dream + -MANCY]

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▪ occult practice
      prophetic divination from dreams, considered a divine act in most ancient cultures and surviving to modern times in certain folk traditions. Oneiromancy is based on the belief that dreams are messages sent to the soul by gods or the dead, most often as warnings. In the highly developed oneiromancy of ancient Greece, Egypt, and Babylonia, the class of diviners or seers responsible for dream interpretation often had great political and social influence. The best-known instance of oneiromancy preserved in ancient literature is the biblical account of Pharaoh's dream of seven fat and seven lean cows, explained by Joseph as foretelling years of plenty to be followed by years of famine.

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Oneiromancy — (from the Greek Oneiroi) is a form of divination based upon dreams; it is a system of dream interpretation that uses dreams to predict the future. Contents 1 Ancient Egyptian 2 Biblical 3 Greco Roman …   Wikipedia

  • Oneiromancy — O*nei ro*man cy, n. [Gr. ? a dream + mancy.] Divination by means of dreams. De Quincey. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • oneiromancy — (n.) 1650s; see ONEIRO (Cf. oneiro ) + MANCY (Cf. mancy). Related: oneiromantic …   Etymology dictionary

  • oneiromancy — [ō nī′rō man΄sē] n. [< Gr oneiros, a dream + MANCY] divination by the interpretation of dreams …   English World dictionary

  • oneiromancy — noun Divination by the interpretation of dreams. The absence of oneiromancy among the divinatory techniques is justified by the fact that it occupies in Islam a higher place than that of divination in the sphere of religious inspiration …   Wiktionary

  • oneiromancy — noun Etymology: Greek oneiros + English mancy Date: 1652 divination by means of dreams …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • oneiromancy — divination by dreams Divination and Fortune Telling …   Phrontistery dictionary

  • oneiromancy — [ə nʌɪrə(ʊ)ˌmansi] noun the interpretation of dreams in order to foretell the future …   English new terms dictionary

  • oneiromancy — onei·ro·man·cy …   English syllables

  • oneiromancy — o•nei•ro•man•cy [[t]oʊˈnaɪ rəˌmæn si[/t]] n. divination through dreams • Etymology: 1645–55; < Gk óneiro(s) dream + mancy o•nei′ro•man cer, n …   From formal English to slang

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