Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun One that dips, especially a container for taking up water.
  • noun One of several small birds of the genus Cinclus that dive into swift-moving streams and feed along the bottom.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun In ceramics, a workman who dips ware in the glazing or coloring preparation: See dipped.
  • noun Any of the gastropod mollusks of the genus Bulla.
  • noun One who or that which dips. Specifically
  • noun [capitalized] [Cf. dopper.] Same as Dunker.
  • noun In paper manufacturing, the workman who mixes the pulp and puts it upon the mold.
  • noun One who dips snuff. See to dip snuff, under dip, v. t.
  • noun A bird of the genus Cinclus or family Cinclidœ: so called because it dips, ducks, or dives under water.
  • noun Any swimming bird which dives with great ease and rapidity, as a grebe, dab-chick, or didapper; especially, in the United States, the buffle, Bucephala albeola, which is also called spirit-duck for the same reason. See cut under buffle.
  • noun A vessel of wood, iron, or tin, with a handle usually long and straight, used to dip water or other liquid.
  • noun [capitalized] The popular name in the United States of the seven principal stars in Ursa Major, or the Great Bear: so called from their being arranged in the form of the vessel called a dipper. The corresponding stars in Ursa Minor are called the Little Dipper. See cuts under Ursa.
  • noun In photography, a holder or lifter for plunging plates into a sensitizing or fixing bath; especially, such a holder used in the wet-plate process for plunging the collodionized plate into the sensitizing bath of nitrate of silver.
  • noun A simple form of scoop-dredge. See dredging-machine.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun One who, or that which, dips; especially, a vessel used to dip water or other liquid; a ladle.
  • noun A small grebe; the dabchick.
  • noun The buffel duck.
  • noun The water ouzel (Cinolus aquaticus) of Europe.
  • noun The American dipper or ouzel (Cinclus Mexicanus).
  • noun (Astron.) the seven principal stars in the constellation of the Great Bear; popularly so called from their arrangement in the form of a dipper; -- called also Charles's Wain. See Ursa Major, under Ursa.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun Any of various small passerine birds of the genus Cinclus that live near fast-flowing streams and feed along the bottom.
  • noun A cup-shaped vessel with a long handle, for dipping out liquids.
  • noun slang pickpocket

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a ladle that has a cup with a long handle
  • noun a group of seven bright stars in the constellation Ursa Major
  • noun small North American diving duck; males have bushy head plumage
  • noun a cluster of seven stars in Ursa Minor; at the end of the dipper's handle is Polaris
  • noun small stocky diving bird without webbed feet; frequents fast-flowing streams and feeds along the bottom

Etymologies

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Examples

  • Double Star by admin on Mar. 25, 2009, under Uncategorized double star? one of the seven stars in the big dipper is actually a double star, that is two stars that are very close together. can u tell which stars they are? is it possible if u can list some sources? where in the big dipper is it located where is the double star located in the big dipper

    SciFi, Fantasy & Horror Collectibles - Part 5889 2009

  • A piece of dry bread had slipped from his bony little hand and a tin dipper stood beside him on the bare table.

    Understood Betsy 1917

  • While this was done, and Daisy looked delighted, Mr. McFarlane seized upon a tin dipper which June had brought, and filled it at the river.

    Melbourne House 1907

  • It was not without pleasure that she saw her kind hostess arm herself with a deep plate and a tin dipper, and carefully taking off the pot-cover so that no drops might fall on the hearth, proceed to ladle out a goodly supply of what Ellen knew was that excellent country dish called pot-pie.

    The Wide, Wide World 1892

  • His dipper was a ten-pound lard can with a handle ingeniously attached, and as he dipped water from the river into the grizzly, the steady, mechanical motion of the rocker and dipper had the regularity of a machine.

    The Man from the Bitter Roots Caroline Lockhart 1916

  • I remember that we call the roots of a tree the _mores_; that a dipper is a _spudgell_; that we say

    In a Green Shade A Country Commentary Maurice Hewlett 1892

  • Colley means a blackbird; water-colley, the water-blackbird or water-ousel -- called the dipper in the North.

    The Life of the Fields Richard Jefferies 1867

  • Every Starbucks branch has a cold tap behind the counter providing water for a sink called a dipper well, used for washing spoons and utensils.

    WN.com - Business News 2010

  • Every Starbucks branch has a cold tap behind the counter providing water for a sink called a dipper well, used for washing spoons and utensils.

    WN.com - Articles related to Africa's Cell Phone Boom Can't Trump Dire Need For Schools, Roads, Power, Water 2010

  • Every Starbucks branch has a cold tap behind the counter providing water for a sink called a dipper well, used for washing spoons and utensils.

    WN.com - Articles related to Africa's Cell Phone Boom Can't Trump Dire Need For Schools, Roads, Power, Water 2010

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