sand

Noun

sand (usually uncountable, plural sands)

1. (uncountable) Rock that is ground more finely than gravel, but is not as fine as silt (more formally, see grain sizes chart), forming beaches and deserts and also used in construction.
   • 1913, Joseph C. Lincoln, chapter 1, in Mr. Pratt's Patients:

     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. (countable, often in the plural) A beach or other expanse of sand.

   The Canadian tar sands are a promising source of oil.

   • 1892, James Yoxall, chapter 7, in The Lonely Pyramid:

     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, circa 1920) Personal courage.
   • 1884, Twain, Mark, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn:

     You may say what you want to, but in my opinion she had more sand in her than any girl I ever see; in my opinion she was just full of sand.

   • 1968, Charles Portis, True Grit

     He said, “I admire your sand but I believe you will find I am not liable for such claims. Let me say too that your valuation of the horse is high by about two hundred dollars.”

   • 1979, L'Amour, Louis, Bendigo Shafter, →ISBN, OL 24369989M:

     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.

   sand colour:  

6. (countable, obsolete) A single grain of sand.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Shakespeare to this entry?)

7. (countable, figuratively) 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.

Adjective

sand

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

Verb

sand (third-person singular simple present sands, present participle sanding, simple past and past participle sanded)

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.
   • 1938, Xavier Herbert, Capricornia, New York: D. Appleton-Century, 1943, Chapter IX, page 141,

     Sudden stopping, which could be effected easily by sanding the rails and reversing the driving-gear, was dangerous, because the train might telescope and overwhelm the engine.

   • 1958, Boris Pasternak, Doctor Zhivago, translated by Max Hayward and Manya Harari, New York: Pantheon, Chapter 4, page 96,

     The golden domes of churches and the freshly sanded paths in the town gardens were a glaring yellow.

3. (transitive, historical) To blot ink using sand.
   • 1859, Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities

     The officer wrote until he had finished, read over to himself what he had written, sanded it, and handed it to Defarge, with the words "In secret."

See also

• Appendix:Colors

Noun

sand (plural sands)

1. (colloquial) A sandpiper.

Adjective

sand

1. true

Noun

sand n (singular definite sandet, not used in plural form)

1. sand (finely ground rock)

Derived terms

• quyksande

Descendants

• Scots: sand
• English: sand
• Yola: zoane

References

• “sā̆nd (n.)” in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-04-05.

Derived terms

Derived terms

Noun

sand f

1. action of sending, embassy, mission, deputation; message
2. sending, service, course of food, dish of food, repast, mess, victuals

Noun

sand n

1. sand, gravel
2. sand by the sea, sands, seashore, sandy shore, beach

Declension

Related terms