sabulous

American  

[sab-yuh-luhs] / ˈsæb jə ləs /

adjective

1. sandy; gritty.

   sabulous loam;

   sabulous coagulation in the kidneys.

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sabulous British  

/ ˈsæbjʊləʊs, ˌsæbjʊˈlɒsɪtɪ, ˈsæbjʊləs /

adjective

1. like sand in texture; gritty

2. Also: sabuline.  (of plants) growing in sand

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Other Word Forms

• sabulosity
  noun

Etymology

Origin of sabulous

First recorded in 1625–35; from Latin sabul(um) “coarse sand, gravel” + -ous

Explanation

Something sabulous is sandy: It has the texture of sand, or it's full of sand or grit. You might call a beach fabulous, but because it's sandy, you could also call it sabulous. The word sabulous is derived from the Latin sabulum, meaning "coarse sand" or "gravel." It's a formal, technical term for "sandy," most often encountered in geology or soil science to describe soils that contain significant amounts of sand. In older medical texts, it may describe sand-like sediments or "gravel," such as mineral deposits in bodily fluids. More rarely, writers might use it in a literary sense to evoke the sandy character of some deserts and shorelines.

Related Words

• dusty
• grainy
• rough