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Glite Dictionary
water witch

water witch

1 9.9
A woman who finds underground water using a divining rod
  • noun
  • /ˈwɔːtər wɪtʃ/
  • Archaic
translation icon : aguadora

Examples

  • - Well, great to meet a Michigan water witch.

    Coraline (2009)

  • He was a water witch, too.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • And if I'm a water witch, then where's the secret well?

    Coraline (2009)

  • The farmer hired a water witch to locate a new well on his property.

  • Many people in the area believe in the skills of a water witch to find hidden springs.

  • They say that a water witch can detect water underground using a special stick.

Synonyms

dowser
vswater witch
1 9.9

A person who uses a stick to find water or minerals underground

is used only for a female practitioner rather than any person
rhabdomancer
vswater witch
  • Archaic
9.9

A person who uses a stick to find underground water or minerals

is specific to finding only underground water rather than other hidden substances
hydromancer
vswater witch
  • Archaic
9.9

A person who looks at water to predict the future

uses a divining rod to locate underground water rather than water-based divination

Surface Forms

water witch singular
water witches plural

Morphology

water + witch

A B1 learner who knows 'water' and 'witch' can readily infer a person associated with water or magical practices involving water, so the broad idea is compositional. However, the specific occupational sense of finding underground water with a divining rod (i.e. a dowser) is a cultural/specialized meaning not fully predictable from the parts, so the item is only partially transparent.

Etymology

Water witch comes from a rural practice where people walked over fields with a forked stick or 'divining rod' that seemed to move when it passed over underground water, so the person looked like a kind of witch. That's why water witch means someone who says they can 'find underground water'.