Sand

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -ænd

Origin

From Middle English, from Old English sand, from Proto-Germanic *samdaz (compare West Frisian sân, Dutch zand, German Sand, Danish sand), from Proto-Indo-European *sámh₂dʰos (compare Latin sabulum, Ancient Greek ἄμαθος), from *sem- ("to pour") (compare English dialectal samel ("sand bottom"), Old Irish to-ess-sem ("to pour out"), Latin sentina ("bilge water"), Lithuanian sémti ("to scoop"), Ancient Greek ἀμάω (amáō, "to gather"), ἄμη (amē, "water bucket")).

Full definition of sand

Noun

1. (uncountable) Rock that is ground more finely than gravel, but is not as fine as silt (more formally, see Particle size (grain size)), forming beaches and deserts and also used in construction.
• 1913, Joseph C. Lincoln, Mr. Pratt's Patients Chapter 1, For a spell we done pretty well. Then there came a reg'lar terror of a sou'wester same as you don't get one summer in a thousand, and blowed the shanty flat and ripped about half of the weir poles out of the sand.
2. (often in the plural) A beach or other expanse of sand.
   The Canadian tar sands are a promising source of oil.
• 1892, James Yoxall, The Lonely Pyramid Chapter 7, It was the Lost Oasis, the Oasis of the vision in the sand. … Deep-hidden in the hollow, beneath the cliffs, it lay; and round it the happy verdure spread for many a rood. … Yes, the quest was ended, the Lost Oasis was the Found!
3. (uncountable, dated) Personal courage (used before or around 1920s).
• 1979, Bendigo Shafter, There was youngsters all around him, and he stood there lookin’ at me and never turned a hair. He had sand, that Morrell.
4. (uncountable, geology) A particle from 62.5 microns to 2 mm in diameter, following the Wentworth scale.
5. A light beige colour, like that of typical sand.
6. (countable, obsolete) A single grain of sand.
7. (figurative) A moment or interval of time; the term or extent of one's life (referring to the sand in an hourglass).
• William Shakespeare (1564-1616)The sands are numbered that make up my life.

Derived terms

Adjective

1. Of a light beige colour, like that of typical sand.

Verb

1. (transitive) To abrade the surface of (something) with sand or sandpaper in order to smooth or clean it.
2. (transitive) To cover with sand.

Anagrams

• ANDs
• nads