- dowse
- I. variant of douse II. verb (dowsed; dowsing) Etymology: origin unknown Date: 1691 intransitive verb to use a divining rod transitive verb to find (as water) by dowsing
New Collegiate Dictionary. 2001.
dowse
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Dowse — Dowse, v. t. [Cf. 1st {Douse}.] 1. To plunge, or duck into water; to immerse; to douse. [1913 Webster] 2. [Cf. OD. doesen to strike, Norw. dusa to break.] To beat or thrash. [Prov. Eng.] Halliwell. [1913 Webster] … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
Dowse — Dowse, v. i. To use the dipping or divining rod, as in search of water, ore, etc. [1913 Webster] Adams had the reputation of having dowsed successfully for more than a hundred wells. Eng. Cyc. [1913 Webster] … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
Dowse — Dowse, n. A blow on the face. [Low] Colman. [1913 Webster] … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
dowse — [ dauz ] verb intransitive 1. ) to search for water underground using a special stick that moves when you are near the right place 2. ) another spelling of douse ╾ dows|er noun count … Usage of the words and phrases in modern English
dowse — 1690s, a south England dialect word, of uncertain origin, said to have been introduced to Devon by German miners in Elizabethan times … Etymology dictionary
dowse — [1] ► VERB ▪ search for underground water or minerals with a pointer which is supposedly moved by unseen influences. DERIVATIVES dowser noun. ORIGIN of unknown origin … English terms dictionary
dowse — dowse1 [dous] vt. dowsed, dowsing DOUSE1 dowse2 [douz] vi. dowsed, dowsing [< ?] to search for a source of water or minerals by walking about while holding a divining rod (dowsing rod) dowser n … English World dictionary
dowse — UK [daʊz] / US verb [intransitive] Word forms dowse : present tense I/you/we/they dowse he/she/it dowses present participle dowsing past tense dowsed past participle dowsed 1) to search for water underground using a special stick that moves when… … English dictionary
dowse — douse, dowse Three verbs are involved here: (1) douse, pronounced like the noun house, meaning ‘to doff (a hat etc.)’, (2) douse, pronounced like the first one and possibly related to it, meaning ‘to plunge into water’, and (3) dowse, pronounced… … Modern English usage
Dowse — This name derives from the Medieval English douce or dowse itself coming from the Olde French dolz later doux meaning sweet or pleasant , the name can also be spelt as Douch or Douche. Frequently used as a woman s name, it is first recorded as… … Surnames reference
dowse — Liverpool Slang lookout: Billy, keep dowse and hoot if anybody comes … English dialects glossary
