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A.Word.A.Day--mantic

Pronunciation RealAudio

mantic (MAN-tik) adjective

Of or relating to divination.

[From Greek mantikos, from mantis (prophet), from mainesthai (to rage). Ultimately from Indo-European root men- (to think) that is also the source of words such as mind, mental, mention, Sanskrit mantra, automatic, mania, money, praying mantis, monument, music, and amnesia.]

"During July, you will be involved with people who are studying the mantic arts, including astrology."
Sydney Omarr; Today's Horoscope; The Washington Post; Jun 21, 2002.

"Pan had taught him for summoning what beast
he wished, and filled the outdoor theatre
with loud leaping green lumps of slime. Comic
beyond words, the piece was a hit - not least
for frog-happy Eurydice. Whether
anyone suspected the mantic
origins of this so-called coincidence ..."
Kurt Leland; The Adolescence of Orpheus; 2001

See more usage examples of mantic in Vocabulary.com's dictionary.

This week's theme: Words from Greek

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Work on good prose has three steps: a musical stage when it is composed, an architectonic one when it is built, and a textile one when it is woven. -Walter Benjamin, critic and philosopher (1892-1940)

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