quicksand
[ kwik-sand ]
/ ˈkwɪkˌsænd /
noun
a bed of soft or loose sand saturated with water and having considerable depth, yielding under weight and therefore tending to suck down any object resting on its surface.
Nearby words
Origin of quicksand
Related formsquick·sand·y, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for quicksand
British Dictionary definitions for quicksand
quicksand
/ (ˈkwɪkˌsænd) /
noun
a deep mass of loose wet sand that submerges anything on top of it
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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Word Origin and History for quicksand
quicksand
c.1300, from Middle English quyk "living" (see quick (adj.)) + sond "sand" (see sand (n.)). Old English had cwecesund, but this might have meant "lively strait of water."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Science definitions for quicksand
quicksand
[ kwĭk′sănd′ ]
A deep bed of loose, smoothly rounded sand grains, saturated with water and forming a soft, shifting mass that yields easily to pressure and tends to engulf objects resting on its surface. Although it is possible for a person to drown while mired in quicksand, the human body is less dense than any quicksand and is thus not drawn or sucked beneath the surface as is sometimes popularly believed.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
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