dipper

[dip-er] /ˈdɪp ər/
noun
1.
a person or thing that dips.
2.
a cuplike container with a long handle, used for dipping liquids.
3.
(initial capital letter) Astronomy.
  1. Big Dipper.
  2. Little Dipper.
4.
Ornithology. Also called water ouzel. any small, stocky diving bird of the family Cinclidae, related to the thrushes, especially Cinclus aquaticus of Europe and C. mexicanus of western North America, having dense, oilyplumage and frequenting rapid streams and rivers.
5.
South Midland and Southern U.S. a person who uses snuff.
Origin
1350-1400; Middle English: diving bird; see dip, -er1
Examples from the web for dipper
  • The skinny dipper sued and won because the cap was missing from the hole.
  • Now, you will not see these creatures bathing in a dipper of water.
  • Drills rattled against granite, and the dipper buckets of gigantic excavators made crunching noises.
  • He nodded and went to the big earthenware jar, lifted the dipper and gulped down some cool water.
British Dictionary definitions for dipper

dipper

/ˈdɪpə/
noun
1.
a ladle used for dipping
2.
Also called water ouzel. any aquatic songbird of the genus Cinclus and family Cinclidae, esp C. cinclus. They inhabit fast-flowing streams and resemble large wrens
3.
a slang word for pickpocket
4.
a person or thing that dips, such as the mechanism for directing car headlights downwards
5.
a small metal cup clipped onto a painter's palette for holding diluent or medium
6.
(archaic) an Anabaptist
See also big dipper
Word Origin and History for dipper
n.

late 14c., as a type of diving bird, agent noun from dip (v.). As a ladle or long-handled utensil for drawing liquid, from 1783, chiefly American English. As the popular U.S. name for the asterism known in Britain as The Plough or Charles' Wain, attested by 1833.