quicksand
English
Etymology
From Middle English quyksande, from Old English cwecesand (“quicksand”), from *kwikwaz (“living, active”) + *samdaz (“sand”); equivalent to quick (“living”) + sand. Cognate with Dutch kwikzand (“quicksand”), German Quicksand (“quicksand”), Icelandic kviksandur, kviksyndi (“quicksand”). More at quick, sand.
Noun
quicksand (countable and uncountable, plural quicksands)
- Wet sand that things readily sink in, often found near rivers or coasts
- My feet were firmly lodged in the quicksand, and the more I struggled the more I sank into it.
- Anything that pulls one down or buries one metaphorically
- The quicksands of youth...
Translations
type of sand
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