dowse
/daʊs/ verb, proper noun
Forms dowses dowsing dowsed
- verb (intransitive) To use the dipping or divining rod, as in search of water, ore, etc.
- proper noun A surname.
Synonyms
Etymology
Unknown; originally a dialectal term from southern England.
Variant spelling of Duce.
Webster’s 1913
- verb To plunge, or duck into water; to immerse; to douse.
- verb To beat or thrash. [Prov. Eng.] Halliwell.
- verb To use the dipping or divining rod, as in search of water, ore, etc. Adams had the reputation of having dowsed successfully for more than a hundred wells. Eng. Cyc.
- noun A blow on the face. [Low] Colman.
Etymology [Cf. 1st Douse.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “dowse”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details