DIVINATION

divination, foretelling, soothsaying, fortune telling

(noun) the art or gift of prophecy (or the pretense of prophecy) by supernatural means

prophecy, divination

(noun) a prediction uttered under divine inspiration

divination

(noun) successful conjecture by unusual insight or good luck

Source: WordNet® 3.1

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Etymology

Noun

divination (countable and uncountable, plural divinations)

(uncountable) The act of divining; a foreseeing or foretelling of future events.

The apparent art of discovering secrets or the future by preternatural means.

(countable) An indication of what is to come in the future or what is secret; a prediction.

Hyponyms

• See also divination

Source: Wiktionary

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Div`i*na"tion, n. Etym: [L. divinatio, fr. divinare, divinatum, to foresee, foretell, fr. divinus: cf. F. divination. See Divine.]

1. The act of divining; a foreseeing or foretelling of future events; the pretended art discovering secret or future by preternatural means. There shall not be found among you any one that . . . useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter. Deut. xviii. 10.

Note: Among the ancient heathen philosophers natural divination was supposed to be effected by a divine afflatus; artificial divination by certain rites, omens, or appearances, as the flight of birds, entrails of animals, etc.

2. An indication of what is future or secret; augury omen; conjectural presage; prediction. Birds which do give a happy divination of things to come. Sir T. North.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition

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