Meanings
plural dowsers
- A divining rod used in searching for water, ore, etc.; a dowsing rod.
Synonyms: divining rod, dowsing rod
- One who uses the dowser or divining rod. A diviner.
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.
2003, William Gibson, Pattern Recognition (Bigend cycle; book 1), New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons, →ISBN, page 22 more examples
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.
1996, Richard Webster, Dowsing for Beginners: The Art of Discovering Water, Treasure, Gold, Oil, Artifacts, Llewellyn Worldwide, →ISBNThe 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.
2002, Michael Shermer, The Skeptic Encyclopedia of Pseudoscience, ABC-CLIO, →ISBN, page 93Synonyms: rhabdomantist, rhabdomancer, radiesthesist, water diviner, waterfinder
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA divining rod used in searching for water, ore, etc.; a dowsing rod.
nounOne who uses the dowser or divining rod. A diviner.
More synonyms by meaning
nounforked stick that is said to dip down to indicate underground water or oil
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
Translations
Catalan saurí, rabdomàntic
- sauríone who uses the dowser or divining rod
- rabdomànticone who uses the dowser or divining rod
- rabdomànticaone who uses the dowser or divining rod
- rabdomantone who uses the dowser or divining rod
Dutch wichelroedeloper
- wichelroedeloperone who uses the dowser or divining rod
Finnish kaivonkatsoja
- kaivonkatsojaone who uses the dowser or divining rod
French rhabdomancien, rhabdomancienne
- rhabdomancienone who uses the dowser or divining rod
- rhabdomancienneone who uses the dowser or divining rod
- baguettisantone who uses the dowser or divining rod
- baguettisanteone who uses the dowser or divining rod
- sourcierone who uses the dowser or divining rod
- sourcièreone who uses the dowser or divining rod
- radiesthésisteone who uses the dowser or divining rod
German Rutengänger, Rutengängerin
- Rutengängerone who uses the dowser or divining rod
- Rutengängerinone who uses the dowser or divining rod
- Wünschelrutengängerone who uses the dowser or divining rod
- Wünschelrutengängerinone who uses the dowser or divining rod
- Wünschelrutengeherone who uses the dowser or divining rod
- Wünschelrutengeherinone who uses the dowser or divining rod
- Rhabdomantone who uses the dowser or divining rod
- Rhabdomantinone who uses the dowser or divining rod
Greek ραβδοσκόπος
- ραβδοσκόπος (ravdoskópos)one who uses the dowser or divining rod
Irish aimsitheoir uisce, collóir
- aimsitheoir uisceone who uses the dowser or divining rod
- collóirone who uses the dowser or divining rod
Italian rabdomante
- rabdomanteone who uses the dowser or divining rod
Latin aquilex
- aquilexone who uses the dowser or divining rod
Polish różdżkarz, różdżkarka
- różdżkarzone who uses the dowser or divining rod
- różdżkarkaone who uses the dowser or divining rod
- radiestetaone who uses the dowser or divining rod
- radiestetkaone who uses the dowser or divining rod
Portuguese rabdomante, vedor
- rabdomanteone who uses the dowser or divining rod
- vedorone who uses the dowser or divining rod
Spanish zahorí, rabdomante
- zahoríone who uses the dowser or divining rod
- rabdomanteone who uses the dowser or divining rod
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with dowser
All rhymes →Anagrams
Cite this entry
dowser. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dowser
“dowser.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dowser. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “dowser,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dowser.
Source: dowser on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.