rhabdomancern.
/ˈrabdə(ʊ)mansə/, U.S. /ˈræbdəˌmænsər/ A person who practises rhabdomancy; spec. a dowser.
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the world > action or operation > endeavour > searching or seeking > [noun] > types of search or searching > searching for subterraneous water or minerals > instrument used in
rhabdomancer1817
dowser1835
witcher1906
the world > the supernatural > the paranormal > [noun] > detection of radiation > detecting subterraneous springs, etc. > rhabdomancy > one who practises
water-finder1656
hydrophantic1729
spring-teller1785
water witch1808
rhabdomancer1817
water diviner1825
rhabdomantist1832
dowser1835
jowser1840
witch1843
water witcher1868
water dowser1873
hydroscopist1885
1817 Edinb. Rev. 28 184 No proprietor will..dig down in trace of the metallic effluvia, which reach the subtle senses of the Rabdomancer above.
1893 J. O'Neill Night of Gods I. 211 The youngest son of Tarquinus Superbus (the Supreme Twister of the heavens) was called Aruns, and Aruns was a diviner (a rhabdomancer?).
1944 S. Putnam tr. E. da Cunha Rebellion in Backlands v. 237 Skilled rhabdomancers capable of indicating with their mysterious wands the exact spot where a stream of water might be found.
1971 Daily Tel. 17 Aug. 8/1 Their predictions have no more validity..than the predictions of crystal-gazers, rhabdomancers, oömancers and observers of the flights of birds.
2001 J. Nickell Real-Life X Files xxi. 143 Although my aura supposedly measured only a few inches, after I had compliantly meditated for a few moments, it expanded to several feet—or so the rhabdomancer claimed.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2010; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1817