'chiromancy' originates from Greek, specifically the word 'kheir' meaning 'hand' and 'manteia' meaning 'divination'.

'kheir' and 'manteia' combined in Greek to form 'kheiromanteia', which was adopted into Middle French as 'chiromancie', and eventually became the modern English word 'chiromancy'.

Initially, it meant 'divination by the hand', and this meaning has largely remained the same in modern usage.