Word for the day: sand

sand |sænd|                                                                      *arena (en Español)

DEFINITION

noun [ mass noun ]

1 a loose granular substance, typically pale yellowish brown, resulting from the erosion of siliceous and other rocks and forming a major constituent of beaches, river beds, the seabed, and deserts.• (sands) an expanse of sand, typically along a shore: [ in place names ] : Goodwin Sands.• [ count noun ] a stratum of sandstone or compacted sand.• technical sediment whose particles are larger than silt (typically greater than 0.06 mm).2 a light yellow-brown colour like that of sand.3 N. Amer. informal firmness of purpose: no one has the sand to stand against him.

verb [ with obj. ]1 smooth or polish with sandpaper or a mechanical sander: mask off the area to be painted and sand it down |(as nounsanding) : some recommend a light sanding between the second and third coats.2 sprinkle or overlay with sand, to give better purchase on a surface.PHRASES
the sands ( of time ) are running out the allotted time is nearly at an end.[with reference to the sand of an hourglass.]

DERIVATIVES

sand-like adjective


ORIGIN 

Old English, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch zand and German Sand .

Written by NativeEnglish

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