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divining rod

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noun
  1. a rod, especially a forked stick, commonly of hazel, supposed to be useful in locating underground water, metal deposits, etc.
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Origin of divining rod

First recorded in 1745–55
Also called dowsing rod.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for divining rod

Historical Examples

  • What has not been said for and against the divining-rod of Jacques Aimar?

    The Phantom World

    Augustin Calmet

  • After a cold and snowy night it needed a divining-rod to find it.

  • This faculty, indeed, is the divining-rod of the man of science.

  • Jacob, whose nose was a divining-rod, told him there was a vein of coal beneath.

  • The phenomena of tests by the divining-rod are not by any means new.

British Dictionary definitions for divining rod

divining rod

noun
  1. a rod, usually a forked hazel twig, said to move or dip when held over ground in which water, metal, etc, is to be foundAlso called: dowsing rod
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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012