water-witchv.

1868 [implied in: Ohio Farmer 26 Dec. 817/3 Veins being traced up the hill-sides and wells dug to tap them, as well as water found, in desired localities. Those veins, were doubtless inhabited and kept open by the craw-fish, till found and utilized by the rod of the water-witcher. (at water witcher n.)].

1871 Prairie Farmer 26 Aug. 272/2 Some are ‘water-witching’ with but little success.

1939 Amer. Home May 128/2 This accountant husband of mine even ‘water-witched’ a bit so that we do not have to rely on our neighbor's generosity but have a spring of our own.

1947 R. Bedichek Adventures with Texas Naturalist x. 119 It turned out that she [sc. a pig] was water-witching..for presently she began rooting. Soon her..snout unearthed a spring of crystal-clear water.

2012 K. McGuire Escaping Cauldron viii. 48 My grandfather used divining rods to locate water on his farm. I remember the day he taught me how to water witch. We walked around the yard until we found a thin y-shaped stick.

1913 E. Dejeans Water-Witched Valley ix in Lippincott's Monthly Mag. Oct. 440 There ain't a half-mile of that valley down there that ain't been water-witched—we've been so desperate for water.

1951 H. A. Travis Umatilla Trail vii. 56 Many of the wells here were water-witched with the forked hazel twig, some were lucky, others were not.

1974 R. L. Sharp Big Outfit ix. 45 A couple of the spots he ‘water-witched’, he forecasted the water depth to be over one hundred feet.

2014 Salt Lake Tribune (Nexis) 24 May She hired a well-recommended well driller who first wanted to come out and water-witch the site.