n. & v.
n. 1 a loose granular substance resulting from the wearing down of esp. siliceous rocks and found on the seashore, river-beds, deserts, etc. 2 (in pl.) grains of sand. 3 (in pl.) an expanse or tracts of sand. 4 a light yellow-brown colour like that of sand. 5 (in pl.) a sandbank. 6 US colloq. firmness of purpose; grit.
v.tr. 1 smooth or polish with sandpaper or sand. 2 sprinkle or overlay with, or bury under, sand. 3 adulterate (sugar etc.) with sand. sand bar a sandbank at the mouth of a river or US on the coast. sand-bath a vessel of heated sand to provide uniform heating. sand-bed a stratum of sand. sand-cloud driving sand in a simoom. sand-crack 1 a fissure in a horse's hoof. 2 a crack in the human foot from walking on hot sand. 3 a crack in brick due to imperfect mixing. sand dollar US any of various round flat sea urchins, esp. of the order Clypeasteroida. sand-dune (or -hill) a mound or ridge of sand formed by the wind. sand eel any eel-like fish of the family Ammodytidae or Hypotychidae: also called LAUNCE. sand-flea a chigoe or sand-hopper. sand-glass = HOURGLASS. sand-groper Austral. 1 a gold-rush pioneer. 2 joc. a Western Australian. sand-hill a dune. sand-hopper any of various small jumping crustaceans of the order Amphipoda, burrowing on the seashore. sand-martin a swallow-like bird, Riparia riparia, nesting in the side of a sandy bank etc. the sands are running out the allotted time is nearly at an end. sand-shoe a shoe with a canvas, rubber, hemp, etc., sole for use on sand. sand-skipper = sand-hopper. sand-yacht a boat on wheels propelled along a beach by wind. sander n. sandlike adj.
[ OE sand f. Gmc ]