-mancycomb. form

Etymology: < Old French -mancie < post-classical Latin -mantīa < Hellenistic Greek -μαντεία , use as suffix of ancient Greek μαντεία divination, prophetic power < μαντεύεσθαι to prophesy < μάντις prophet, diviner (see mantic adj.).Hellenistic Greek already contained such formations as ἀστρομαντεία (see astromancy n.), θεομαντεία (see theomancy n.), and νεκυομαντεία (see necyomancy n.). Many of these and later Byzantine Greek formations passed into post-classical Latin, which also made new formations of the same kind. The earliest English words in -mancy occur in Middle English and were adopted via Middle French from post-classical Latin, e.g. pyromancy n., aeromancy n., geomancy n., nigromancy n. A large number of words in -mancy are first recorded in the 16th and 17th centuries. About half of these appear to be borrowed < Latin or French or based on Latin or French models, e.g. rhabdomancy n., lecanomancy n., while half appear to have been formed in English from first elements of Greek origin, e.g. catoptromancy n., tephromancy n. Words of this kind which are first recorded from the 18th cent. onwards are for the most part infrequently attested and are predominantly native formations, e.g. ambulomancy n., graptomancy n. Few have been introduced since 1900. Chiefly combined with first elements of Greek origin, but occasionally with first elements of Latin origin, the earliest examples in English apparently being austromancy n. and labiomancy n.; compare also:1709 J. Stevens tr. F. de Quevedo Comical Wks. (ed. 2) 374 There are Lines on the Neck, the Forehead, the Lips, the Hams, the Elbows, and the bottom of the Buttocks..and therefore..as there is Chiromancy, there ought to be Frontimancy, Collimancy, Pedimancy, Natimancy [Sp. Y assi avia de aver, (si fuera verdad, como ay Quiromanticos,) Nalguimanticos, y Frontimanticos, y Codimanticos, y Pescuecimanticos, y Piedimanticos].