ALECTRYOMANCY

ALECTRYOM'ANCY, noun [Gr. a cock and divination.]An ancient practice of foretelling events by means of a cock. The twenty four letters were laid on the ground, and a grain of corn on each; a cock was then permitted to pick up the grains, and the letters under the grains selected, being formed into words, were supposed to foretell the event desired.

---

A‐lec″try‐o‐man′cy (�), n. [[Gr. � cock + -mancy.]] Divination by means of a cock and grains of corn placed on the letters of the alphabet, the letters being put together in the order in which the grains were eaten. Amer. Cyc.