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bibliomancy

 - 3 dictionary results

bib⋅li⋅o⋅man⋅cy

  [bib-lee-oh-man-see]
Use bibliomancy in a Sentence
–noun
divination by means of a book, esp. the Bible, opened at random to some verse or passage, which is then interpreted.
Origin:
1745–55; biblio- + -mancy
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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bib·li·o·man·cy   (bĭb'lē-ə-mān'sē)   
n.   pl. bib·li·o·man·cies
Divination by interpretation of a passage chosen at random from a book, especially the Bible.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

bibliomancy 
1753, "divination by opening a book (especially the Bible) at random," the first verse presenting itself being taken as a prognostication of future events, from Gk. biblion (see Bible) + manteia "divination." Before the Bible, in pagan times, Homer (sortes Homericæ) and Virgil (sortes Virgilianæ) were similarly used.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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