water-witch
[waw-ter-wich, wot-er-]
- to practice water witching; work as a water witch.
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water witch
- Also water witcher. a person skilled at water witching; dowser.
- a witch believed to haunt lakes, ponds, etc.
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Origin of water witch
An Americanism dating back to 1810–20
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for water-witch
Historical Examples
Our trade is the concern of life;—our world, the Water-Witch.
The Water-Witch or, The Skimmer of the SeasJames Fenimore Cooper
It is that there was a spell put upon me—by a water-witch that was of my kindred.
Three Wonder PlaysLady I. A. Gregory
I must indeed have been exhausted to chop logic with a water-witch.
Henry BrockenWalter J. de la Mare
When he passes over the spot where the hidden springs of water are, the twig goes down, without any volition of the "water-witch."
Trees Worth KnowingJulia Ellen Rogers
We have no want of passes, and the Miller's-Maid is just as good a name to hail by, as the 'Water-witch.'
The Water-Witch or, The Skimmer of the SeasJames Fenimore Cooper
water witch
- a person who claims the ability to detect water underground by means of a divining rod
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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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