Tasseography

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The interpretation of patterns left by tea leaves in a cup as a method of divination ; the practice of reading fortunes by observing the shapes formed by tea sediment in a vessel ; fortune-telling that uses loose tea remnants to divine the future
2. A technique of predicting events or gaining insight by analyzing the residue left by tea leaves in a drinking cup ; an art involving inferring meaning from tea leaf positions ; a form of divination that deciphers symbols in tea dregs
3. The mystical skill of reading and explaining future possibilities by examining the arrangement of tea leaves left in a teacup ; the tradition of seeking answers through tea-leaf patterns ; an esoteric practice of fortune-telling using tea residue

Etymology: "Tasseography" is a blend of French and English, built from "tasse," the French word for "cup," and the English combining element "-graphy," from Greek "graphia," meaning "writing." The result is a playful coinage that describes the practice of reading the patterns left by tea leaves at the bottom of a cup, treating the leftover residue as a kind of script to be interpreted. The mixing of languages is what makes the word macaronic, a term for deliberately hybrid vocabulary. English has many "-graphy" words for writing and recording, such as "photography" and "calligraphy," and this one follows that pattern while swapping in a French root for the cup. The "-graphy" ending itself reaches English through Latin from Greek, so the word combines a French noun with a Greek-derived suffix.

Synonyms: tea leaf reading, tea leaf interpretation, tea leaf divination, cup reading, tea leaf fortune telling