Glossary
A reference guide to the terminology used in palmistry across Indian, Chinese, and Western traditions. Where traditions use different names or meanings for the same feature, that is noted. Terms are arranged alphabetically.
A
- Active hand
-
The dominant hand — the hand used most frequently for writing and daily tasks. In
contemporary practice, many palmists read the active hand as reflecting developed
personality, current circumstances, and conscious choices.
→ Lesson: Active and Passive Hand
B
- Branch
-
A short offshoot from a main palm line. Branches are read in relation to direction:
ascending branches (rising from the main line) are traditionally associated with
development in the quality the line governs; descending branches with drain or difficulty.
A branch is distinguished from a fork — branches are short offshoots along a line's
course; a fork is a significant split at the terminus.
→ Article: What Do Palm Lines Mean? - Break
-
A gap in a palm line where the line stops and then starts again. Traditionally associated
with a significant transition or disruption in the quality the line governs. The reading
depends on position, gap size, whether the ends overlap, and any accompanying markings.
An overlapping break — where one strand begins before the other ends — is generally read
differently from a clean gap with nothing bridging it.
→ Article: Broken Life Line
→ Article: Broken Heart Line - Bhagya Rekha
-
Sanskrit term for the fate line in Indian palmistry. Bhagya translates as
destiny, fortune, or luck. In Hasta Samudrika Shastra, it is read in relation to
karma phala (the fruits of accumulated action) and dharma (one's
appropriate path in this life). Structurally similar to the Western fate line but situated
within a karmic and cosmic frame that extends beyond the individual life.
→ Article: Indian Palmistry - Broken heart line
-
A gap or interruption in the heart line where the line stops and then restarts. Traditionally
associated with emotional disruption or transition — a turning point in relational life —
rather than permanent damage or relationship failure. The quality of the break (a clean gap,
an overlap, or a faded section) and what accompanies it shape the reading considerably.
→ Article: Broken Heart Line
→ Lesson: The Heart Line
C
- Chained heart line
-
A heart line formed partly or entirely from small linked oval loops rather than a clean,
unbroken course. Traditionally associated with emotional complexity and sensitivity —
genuine depth of feeling alongside difficulty expressing it clearly, or inconsistency in
emotional response. Chaining can appear on any major line; on the heart line it is
particularly associated with changeability in affectional nature.
→ Article: Chained Heart Line - Chained line
-
A palm line formed partly or entirely from small linked oval loops rather than a single
clean course. Chaining on any major line is traditionally associated with fragmentation,
inconsistency, or difficulty in the quality that line governs. It appears most commonly
on the heart and head lines; on the life line it may suggest periods of depleted vitality.
See also chained heart line.
→ Article: Chained Heart Line - Cheiro (1866–1936)
-
William John Warner, the Irish palmist who wrote under the name Cheiro. Author of
Language of the Hand (1894) and several other works, he systematised Western
palmistry for a popular audience and remains a primary reference for the Western
tradition. His historical framings — particularly around gender and prediction — are
acknowledged but not carried forward uncritically in contemporary practice.
→ Lesson: What Palmistry Is - Cross
-
A marking formed by two short lines crossing at approximately right angles, distinct from
the major lines and not a natural intersection of their courses. Location governs
interpretation almost entirely: a cross on the Mount of Jupiter is traditionally associated
with a significant partnership; one on the Mount of Saturn carries more cautionary
associations. The mystic cross — found in the quadrangle between the heart and
head lines — is traditionally associated with intuitive ability and an interest in esoteric
subjects.
→ Article: Crosses and Stars
D
- Dominant hand
-
The hand used most frequently for writing and daily tasks. In palmistry the dominant hand
is the same as the active hand. Many contemporary
practitioners read it as reflecting developed traits, present circumstances, and the
directions in which a person has shaped their own character.
→ Lesson: Active and Passive Hand - Double life line
-
A second line running inside the life line's arc, parallel and close to it, occupying the
space between the main life line and the thumb. Also called the sister line,
inner life line, or (in Benham's terminology) the Line of Mars.
Traditionally associated with augmented vitality and resilience, and most significant when
it runs alongside a broken or weakened section of the main life line — bridging the gap
rather than replacing the line's narrative.
→ Article: Double Life Line
→ Lesson: The Life Line
E
- Earth line
-
The Chinese palmistry name for the life line, corresponding to the Earth (Di)
force in the Taoist Tian Di Ren (Heaven–Human–Earth) cosmological triad. Its
position — curving lowest in the palm — reflects its association with the physical,
material, and foundational dimensions of a life. Read for constitution, vitality, and
rootedness rather than lifespan.
→ Article: Chinese Palmistry Basics
F
- Fate line
-
A vertical or near-vertical line running from the base of the palm toward the middle
finger (Saturn finger). Traditionally associated with the broad direction of a person's
life, particularly career and sense of purpose. Not present on all hands; its absence is
not itself a significant negative sign.
→ Lesson: The Fate Line - Forked heart line
-
A split at the terminus of the heart line into two distinct branches. Traditionally
associated with a capacity to balance emotional depth and practical perspective — not a
divided heart or romantic instability. The direction each branch runs (toward the Mount of
Jupiter, Saturn, or downward toward the head line) shapes the specific reading
considerably.
→ Article: Forked Heart Line
→ Lesson: The Heart Line
G
- Girdle of Venus
-
A curved or broken line arching between the index and ring fingers, above the heart
line. Traditionally associated with emotional sensitivity and heightened responsiveness.
It may appear as a complete arc or as a series of shorter fragments.
→ Lesson: The Girdle of Venus
H
- Hasta Samudrika Shastra
-
The classical Indian system of hand analysis, part of the broader field of
Samudrika Shastra (the study of bodily features as a guide to character and
destiny). One of the oldest codified traditions of palmistry, with roots in ancient
Sanskrit texts. It examines the fingers, nails, skin texture, and overall hand
structure alongside the palm lines.
→ Lesson: What Palmistry Is - Head line
-
A major horizontal line running across the middle of the palm, typically beginning at or
near the index finger and extending toward the outer edge. Traditionally associated with
mental disposition, reasoning style, and approach to problem-solving. Its length, curve,
and depth are all considered in interpretation. In Chinese palmistry it is known as the
Ren (Human) line.
→ Lesson: The Head Line - Heart line
-
A major horizontal line running across the upper palm, generally beginning at or near
the little finger and extending toward the index or middle finger. Traditionally
associated with emotional life, relational patterns, and affective temperament. In
Chinese palmistry it is known as the Tian (Heaven) line.
→ Lesson: The Heart Line - Heaven line
-
The Chinese palmistry name for the heart line, corresponding to the Heaven (Tian)
force in the Taoist Tian Di Ren triad. Its position — running highest across the
palm — reflects its association with destiny and forces that shape a life from beyond the
individual's immediate control. The Taoist framing situates emotional life within a
cosmological rather than purely psychological frame.
→ Article: Chinese Palmistry Basics - Human line
-
The Chinese palmistry name for the head line, corresponding to the Human (Ren)
force in the Taoist Tian Di Ren triad. Its position — crossing the middle of the
palm between the Heaven line above and the Earth line below — reflects its association
with mind, will, and the individual's capacity to mediate between the celestial and
earthly dimensions of a life.
→ Article: Chinese Palmistry Basics
I
- Island
-
A small enclosed oval formed where a palm line temporarily splits into two strands and then
rejoins. Traditionally associated with a period of difficulty, divided energy, or strain
affecting the quality the line governs — the line's rejoining marks the passage through
that period rather than a permanent condition. Islands vary in size and may appear on any
major line; their position along the line suggests roughly when in life the associated
period occurs.
→ Article: Islands on Palm Lines
J
- Jeevan Rekha
-
Sanskrit term for the life line in Indian palmistry (jeevan = life,
rekha = line). Read for vitality, the quality and continuity of life energy, and
significant transitions — not as a direct measure of lifespan, a misreading the tradition
itself cautions against. The closest Indian counterpart to the Western life line, though
interpreted within the broader karmic and cosmological framework of Hasta Samudrika
Shastra.
→ Article: Indian Palmistry
L
- Life line
-
A major line curving around the base of the thumb and descending toward the wrist.
Often misunderstood as predicting lifespan; in established practice it is traditionally
associated with vitality, life energy, and major life changes rather than longevity
directly. In Chinese palmistry it is the Di (Earth) line.
→ Lesson: The Life Line - Love line
-
A popular informal term occasionally applied to the heart line, drawn from loose usage in
Cheiro's writing. Not a formal term in the classical tradition; the established literature
uses heart line for the primary line associated with emotional life. Applying
"love line" as a separate or more specific feature has no foundation in Benham, Gettings,
or the other major sources.
→ Article: Love Lines — Myths and Limits
→ Lesson: The Heart Line
M
- M line
-
A popular modern term for the shape formed when the heart line, head line, life line, and
fate line align to resemble the capital letter M across the palm. Not a classical formation
— the established tradition (Cheiro, Benham, Gettings) does not name or treat the M as a
distinct marking. The observation it reflects is genuine: a hand where all four major lines
are clearly formed reads well on all four measures, but this is a composite of individual
line readings, not a special marking with independent meaning.
→ Article: M Line in Palmistry - Marriage line
-
Short horizontal lines on the percussion edge of the palm — the little-finger side —
sitting on the Mount of Mercury between the base of the little finger and the heart line.
Also called relationship lines or affection lines. Traditionally
associated with significant emotional bonds rather than a tally of marriages or
relationships; depth and clarity matter more than count. Their absence does not indicate a
life without meaningful partnerships.
→ Article: Marriage Lines
→ Lesson: Marriage and Relationship Lines - Mount
-
A padded area of raised flesh on the palm. Each mount corresponds to a planetary or
elemental association in Western palmistry, and to different qualities in Indian and
Chinese traditions. The relative prominence or flatness of a mount is read in relation
to its associated qualities.
→ Lesson: Mounts Overview - Mount of Apollo
-
Located beneath the ring finger (the Apollo finger). Traditionally associated with
creativity, aesthetic sensibility, and the desire for self-expression or recognition.
→ Lesson: Mount of Apollo - Mount of Jupiter
-
Located beneath the index finger (the Jupiter finger). Traditionally associated with
ambition, leadership, and the individual's relationship to authority and social
standing.
→ Lesson: Mount of Jupiter - Mount of Luna
-
Located on the outer lower palm, opposite the Mount of Venus. Traditionally associated
with imagination, intuition, and the receptive aspects of mind. Sometimes called the
Mount of the Moon.
→ Lesson: Mount of Luna - Mount of Mars
-
Mars occupies two positions on the palm. The Inner Mount of Mars sits between the thumb
and the Mount of Jupiter; it is traditionally associated with active courage and
aggression. The Outer Mount of Mars (also called Plain of Mars) occupies the mid-outer
palm above the Mount of Luna, and is associated with endurance and passive resistance.
→ Lesson: Mount of Mars - Mount of Mercury
-
Located beneath the little finger (the Mercury finger). Traditionally associated with
communication, commerce, adaptability, and quick thinking.
→ Lesson: Mount of Mercury - Mount of Saturn
-
Located beneath the middle finger (the Saturn finger). Traditionally associated with
discipline, introspection, a sense of responsibility, and the relationship to time and
structure.
→ Lesson: Mount of Saturn - Mount of Venus
-
Located at the base of the thumb, enclosed within the arc of the life line.
Traditionally associated with vitality, warmth, affection, and physical energy.
→ Lesson: Mount of Venus
N
- Non-dominant hand
-
The hand used less frequently for writing and daily tasks. In palmistry the non-dominant
hand is the same as the passive hand. Different schools
weight it differently: some read it as carrying innate or inherited patterns, others
treat it as the baseline from which the active hand's development is measured.
→ Lesson: Active and Passive Hand
P
- Palmistry chart
-
A schematic diagram of the hand annotating the conventional positions of major and minor
lines, mounts, and hand zones. Provides orientation and vocabulary for a reading; a useful
starting scaffold for locating features. Cannot convey the depth, texture, colour, and
relational qualities that interpretation requires — a chart gives vocabulary, not grammar.
→ Article: Palmistry Chart for Beginners - Passive hand
-
The non-dominant hand. In contemporary practice, often read as reflecting innate
tendencies, inherited patterns, or the baseline from which the active hand diverges.
Different schools weight the passive hand differently; some traditions read it as the
more significant hand.
→ Lesson: Active and Passive Hand
R
- Relationship line
-
The contemporary term for the markings more traditionally called marriage lines
or affection lines — short horizontal lines on the percussion edge of the palm
on the Mount of Mercury. The term is preferred in modern practice to avoid implying a
direct correspondence with formal marriages. See marriage line.
→ Article: Marriage Lines
S
- Simian line
-
A single horizontal crease formed when the heart line and head line are fused into one
line running across the palm. Present in a minority of hands. Interpretations vary
considerably across traditions and individual practitioners; it is often associated with
intensity of focus and an all-or-nothing quality in the person.
→ Lesson: The Simian Line - Sister line
-
An informal term for the inner life line — a second line running inside the arc of the
main life line, parallel and close to it. Also called the double life line,
inner life line, or the Line of Mars (Benham's term). Traditionally
associated with augmented vitality, particularly when accompanying a break or thinning in
the main life line. See double life line.
→ Article: Double Life Line - Star
-
A marking formed by three or more short lines radiating outward from a central point.
Considered rarer and more emphatic than a cross; Benham and Gettings both treated a
clearly formed star as among the most notable formations on the hand. Location governs
interpretation: a star on the Mount of Jupiter is traditionally one of the most
positively framed positions in Western palmistry; a star on the Mount of Saturn carries
more cautionary associations.
→ Article: Crosses and Stars - Support line
-
An informal term for any line that runs alongside and reinforces another line, most
commonly used for the inner life line accompanying the main life line at a break or
weakened section. The term captures the functional reading of such a line — that it
bridges and strengthens — without naming it as a separate formation. See
sister line and double life line.
→ Article: Double Life Line