Question

fossick verb The first people to fossick (in the oldest and still-current meaning of the word), back in the 1850s, were picking over abandoned mining excavations in Australia and New Zealand in search of gold or gemstones. But within a few decades fossick was being used more generally to mean "to search about" or "to rummage." Fossick, as we know it, is a native of Down Under, but it may have its origins in a word known to immigrants from the United Kingdom: the dialect term fussock, meaning "to bustle about" or "to fidget." 1 : (Australia & New Zealand) to search about especially for gold or gemstones2 : (chiefly Australia & New Zealand) to search about : rummage

Accepted Answer

April 17, 2016 FAH-sik As teenagers, the twins spent many summer afternoons fossicking for opals in the old mine."McDowall outlines the last day's activities: a morning jaunt to Southport…, then the afternoon at Franklin discovering the Wooden Boat Centre, fossicking for antiques and having a pint at a colourful local bar." — Kendall Hill, The Australian, 20 Feb. 2016

Word	fossick
Date	April 17, 2016
Type	verb
Syllables	FAH-sik
Etymology	The first people to fossick (in the oldest and still-current meaning of the word), back in the 1850s, were picking over abandoned mining excavations in Australia and New Zealand in search of gold or gemstones. But within a few decades fossick was being used more generally to mean "to search about" or "to rummage." Fossick, as we know it, is a native of Down Under, but it may have its origins in a word known to immigrants from the United Kingdom: the dialect term fussock, meaning "to bustle about" or "to fidget."
Examples	As teenagers, the twins spent many summer afternoons fossicking for opals in the old mine. "McDowall outlines the last day's activities: a morning jaunt to Southport…, then the afternoon at Franklin discovering the Wooden Boat Centre, fossicking for antiques and having a pint at a colourful local bar." — Kendall Hill, The Australian, 20 Feb. 2016
Definition	1 : (Australia & New Zealand) to search about especially for gold or gemstones 2 : (chiefly Australia & New Zealand) to search about : rummage

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