palm reader

IPA/pˈɑːm ɹˈiːdə/
IPA/pˈɑːm ɹˈiːdɚ/

palm reader — noun

1. a person who claims to learn about your character or future by studying the line

1.nounB2
Definition

a person who claims to learn about your character or future by studying the lines and shape of your hand

Example

At the night market, Yael paid a palm reader to study her wedding line.

pay a palm reader to study a line

Ari laughed when the palm reader predicted three children and a beach house.

palm reader + predict a future

Common collocations
  • visit a palm reader
  • a street palm reader
  • consult a palm reader
  • work as a palm reader
Synonyms
  • palmist

    more formal and less common, but it names the same kind of fortune teller

  • fortune teller

    broader term for someone who predicts the future by many methods, not only the hand

  • psychic

    broader and more paranormal; may claim many powers beyond reading palms

Grammar Patterns

a palm reader

go to a palm reader

work as a palm reader

Usage Note

Often appears in fair, market, or private-reading contexts and may sound neutral, curious, or skeptical. It names the person, while palm reading names the activity or session.

Common Mistakes

We booked a palm reader for ten minutes before dinner.
We booked a palm reading for ten minutes before dinner.
palm reader is the person; palm reading is the session.
The palm reader studied my face and predicted a new job.
The palm reader studied my palm and predicted a new job.
a palm reader is specifically linked to the hand.

Word family

  • palm reading
    noun phraseC1
  • palmist
    nounC2
  • palmistry
    nounC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Palm reader is a clear everyday label for someone who studies the lines and shape of the hand to say something about character, luck, or the future. Palmist means almost the same thing, but it sounds more formal, older, or bookish. Fortune teller is much broader: a fortune teller may use cards, crystal balls, tea leaves, or other methods, so the hand is not central. Psychic is broader again and often suggests a paranormal gift, not a learned method of reading signs on the palm. If a market stall offers to examine your hand, palm reader is the most direct choice. If a novel wants an older or more mysterious tone, palmist may fit better.

palm reader ↗palmistfortune tellerpsychic ↗

Etymology

LatinOld EnglishEnglish

This English phrase combines palm, meaning the inner surface of the hand, with reader, meaning a person who interprets signs or meaning. It came to describe someone who claims to understand a person's nature or future by examining lines and shapes on the hand.