palmistry

Palmistry, also known as chiromancy or chirology, is the practice of interpreting the lines, shapes, and textures of the palm to infer character traits and potential life events. The term derives from Greek chiros "hand" and manteia "divination." The practice has diverse historical roots across cultures, with modern forms drawing from Indian, Chinese, and Greco-Roman traditions. It gained popularity during occult currents of the 19th and early 20th centuries and continues in contemporary self-help and entertainment contexts.

Practitioners examine the hand's major features: lines on the palm (the life line, heart line, head line, and fate line in many systems), the mounts (fleshy areas beneath the fingers), finger shape and length, nails, and the flexibility of the hand. Reading typically involves assessing line length, depth, curvature, intersections, and the relative prominence of mounts, along with hand shape typologies such as earth, air, fire, or water hands. Some traditions also look at minor lines, skin texture, and coloring.

Interpretive aims vary, but common mappings associate the life line with vitality and longevity, the heart line with emotional life, the head line with thinking style, and the fate line with life path or career. Changes in lines or the emergence of new markings may be interpreted as turning points; additional features are used to refine forecasts or character notes.

In science, palmistry is regarded as a pseudoscience with no validated evidentiary basis. It is often presented as entertainment or a subjective form of personal insight, and assessments may reflect general psychological patterns or biases rather than verifiable predictions.