Quicksand Definition

kwĭksănd
noun
A deep, semifluid deposit or bed of sand in which an animal, heavy object, etc. may be trapped or engulfed.
Webster's New World
Sand that is mixed with water in a collected mass and yields easily to pressure so that objects on its surface tend to sink and become engulfed.
American Heritage
A place or situation into which entry can be swift and sudden but from which extrication can be difficult or impossible.
American Heritage

Anything that pulls one down or buries one metaphorically.

The quicksands of youth...
Wiktionary

Other Word Forms of Quicksand

Noun

Singular:
quicksand
Plural:
quicksands

Origin of Quicksand

  • From Middle English quyksande, from Old English cwecesand (“quicksand"), from Proto-Germanic *kwikwaz (“living, active") + Proto-Germanic *samdaz, *samdÄ… (“sand"), equivalent to quick (“living") +"Ž sand. Cognate with Dutch kwikzand (“quicksand"), German Quicksand (“quicksand"), Icelandic kwiksandur, kviksyndi (“quicksand"). More at quick, sand.

    From Wiktionary

  • Middle English quyksond living sand quick, quyk living quick sand, sond sand sand

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

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