Sand

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /sænd/

Definitions

1. Fine particles of crushed rock, typically found on beaches and in deserts
2. Granular fragments created by the weathering of rocks, commonly found on coasts and in dry areas
3. Small, loose particles formed from the erosion of rocks, often present on shores, in deserts, and used in construction materials

Etymology: Sand is one of the oldest words in English, and its ancestry runs back to a root meaning something like "to pour out" or "to scoop." Its nearest relatives are the Old Norse-influenced "sandur" in Icelandic and Faroese and the Dutch "zand," German "Sand," and Swedish "sand," all of which share the same basic form. The Old English "sand" was already in use long before the Norman Conquest, so the word came into English by inheritance rather than borrowing. The link to scooping and pouring is the most surprising part. Sand is loose material that runs through the fingers, so the root seems to have described a substance defined by how it moves. Latin "sabulum," meaning sand or gravel, and the Ancient Greek "ámathos," meaning sand, are not direct ancestors of English "sand" but are distant cousins from the same Indo-European stock. Old Irish "do·essim," meaning "to pour out," and Lithuanian "sémti," meaning "to scoop," point to the same underlying idea.

Synonyms: gravel, silt, dust, granules, particles