dowser

English edit

dowse +‎ -er

dowser (plural dowsers)

A divining rod used in searching for water, ore, etc.; a dowsing rod.
Synonyms: divining rod, dowsing rod

Coordinate term: doodlebug
One who uses the dowser or divining rod. A diviner.
Synonyms: rhabdomantist, rhabdomancer, radiesthesist
- 1996, Richard Webster, Dowsing for Beginners: The Art of Discovering Water, Treasure, Gold, Oil, Artifacts, Llewellyn Worldwide, →ISBN:
  Interestingly enough, John Mullins, the celebrated English dowser, was able to do this experiment using a forked twig, rather than a pendulum. He claimed to be able to locate nothing but water with his dowsing rod.
- 2002, Michael Shermer, The Skeptic Encyclopedia of Pseudoscience, ABC-CLIO, →ISBN, page 93:
  The instrument a dowser uses is called a dowsing rod, dowsing stick, doodlebug (when used to locate oil), or divining rod. Almost any item can be used for this purpose: a birch twig, a whalebone, and even a hanger.
- 2003, William Gibson, Pattern Recognition (Bigend cycle; book 1), New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons, →ISBN, page 2:
  Google Cayce and you will find “coolhunter,” and if you look closely you may see it suggested that she is a “sensitive” of some kind, a dowser in the world of global marketing.

divining rod — see divining rod

one who uses the dowser or divining rod