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 soil2 a: a tract of sand : beach b: a sandbank or sandbar3: 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 sand5: firm resolution6: a yellowish-gray color