Oneiromancy

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /əˈnaɪɹəˌmænsi/

Definitions

1. The practice of predicting the future or gaining insight by interpreting dreams
2. Gaining knowledge or forecasting events by analyzing the content and symbols found in dreams
3. A method of seeking guidance or understanding by examining dreams and their meanings

Etymology: Ancient Greeks who wanted to know what a dream foretold had a whole profession to consult. "Oneiros" was their word for dream, and "manteia" meant divination, the reading of signs to learn what the gods or fate intended. Combined, they gave "oneiromancy," the practice of reading dreams for prophecy. The English word simply takes those two Greek pieces and joins them: "oneiro-" supplies the dream, and "-mancy," the same ending found in "necromancy" and "geomancy," supplies the act of divining. The word is a modern assembly from classical building blocks rather than a term that Greeks themselves used. Its French counterparts, "onéiromancie" and "oniromancie," show the same construction, and English adopted the formation in the same way. Because the pieces are transparent, the word reads almost like a definition: a dream plus a divination, with the meaning spelled out in its parts.