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
Other Word Forms of Quicksand
Noun
Singular:
quicksandPlural:
quicksandsOrigin of Quicksand
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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
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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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