palmister Now rare.
(ˈpælm-, ˈpɑːmɪstə(r))
Also 5–7 palmester, 6 -estrer.
[In 15–17th c. palmester, also palmestrer, app. f. palmestry, palmistry: cf. sorcer-er, sorcer-y, etc.]
One who practises palmistry; one who professes to tell people's characters and fortunes by examining the palms of their hands; a chiromancer.
| a 1500 P. Johnston Thre Deid Pollis 42 Quhat phisnamour, or perfyt palmester. 1561 T. Hoby tr. Castiglione's Courtyer iv. (1577) X iij b, Palmestrers by the visage know many times the conditions, and otherwhile the thoughts of men. 1565 Cooper Thesaurus, Chiromantes.., a Palmester. 1578 Banister Hist. Man iv. 63 These three Muscles make that fleshy part of the thombe, which Palmesters do terme the hill of Mars. 1594 Carew Huarte's Exam. Wits xii. (1596) 183 Imagination..inuiteth a man to be a witch, superstitious,..a palmister, a fortune-teller. a 1670 Hacket Cent. Serm. (1675) 424 No soothsayer, no Palmester, no judicial Astrologer is able to tell any man the event of his life. 1888 Bryce Amer. Commw. III. vi. cxiv. 639 note, Fortune-tellers, clairvoyants, palmisters, and seers. |