Main Entry: ¹sand

Pronunciation: \ˈsand\

Function: noun

Etymology: Middle English, from Old English; akin to Old High German sant sand, Latin sabulum, Greek psammos

Date: before 12th century

1 a : a loose granular material that results from the disintegration of rocks, consists of particles smaller than gravel but coarser than silt, and is used in mortar, glass, abrasives, and foundry molds b : soil containing 85 percent or more of sand and a maximum of 10 percent of clay; broadly : sandy soil
2 a : a tract of sand : beach b : a sandbank or sandbar
3 : the sand in an hourglass; also : the moments of a lifetime —usually used in plural <the sands of this government run out very rapidly — H. J. Laski>
4 : an oil-producing formation of sandstone or unconsolidated sand
5 : firm resolution
6 : a yellowish-gray color