Dowser
/ˈdaʊzər/noun
A person who claims to locate underground water, minerals, or other hidden objects using a rod, pendulum, or similar tool.
Did you know?The word is tied to the old English verb *douse*, meaning to plunge or soak, and the modern mystical practice of dowsing only later became associated with divination.
Etymological Timeline
Old English
OE
dūsian
“to sink, plunge, or become immersed”
Middle English
English
dousen
“to plunge or drench”
16th–17th Century
English
douse
“to extinguish or soak thoroughly”
19th Century
English
dowse
“to search for water or hidden things with a divining rod”
Modern English
English
dowser
“a person who practices dowsing”