quicksand

Etymology

From Middle English quyksande, from Old English cwecesand (“quicksand”), from Proto-Germanic *kwikwaz (“living, active”) + Proto-Germanic *samdaz, *samdą (“sand”), equivalent to quick (“living”) +‎ sand. Cognate with Dutch kwikzand (“quicksand”), German Quicksand (“quicksand”), Icelandic kwiksandur, kviksyndi (“quicksand”). More at quick, sand.

Noun

quicksand (countable and uncountable, plural quicksands)

1. 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.

2. Anything that pulls one down or buries one metaphorically

   The quicksands of youth...