fossick

UK: /ˈfɒsɪk/ US: (fos′ik)

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

fos•sick  (fos′ik), [Chiefly Australian.]
v.i. 

1. Mining, British Terms to undermine another's digging;
   search for waste gold in relinquished workings, washing places, etc.
2. British Terms to search for any object by which to make gain:
   to fossick for clients.

v.t. 

3. British Terms to hunt;
   seek;
   ferret out.

• compare dialect, dialectal fossick troublesome person, fussick to bustle about, apparently fuss + -ick, variant of -ock 1850–55

fos′sick•er, n. 

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

fossick / ˈfɒsɪk/ verb

1. (intransitive) to search for gold or precious stones in abandoned workings, rivers, etc
2. to rummage or search for (something)

Etymology: 19th Century: Australian, probably from English dialect fussock to bustle about, from fuss

ˈfossicker noun