sandman

Etymology

It is formed from English sand + man,^[2][3][4][1] probably alluding to the hard grains found in the eyelashes on waking, or to tired eyes being rubbed as if to clear them of grit.^[3] Etymonline thinks the English word may partly follow German Sandmann,^[3] and the OED compares it and Sandmännchen, as well as dustman in the same sense.^[2] According to Wiktionary the German word is recorded in this sense from at least the mid-18th century, and the English one apparently first in connection with E. T. A. Hoffmann's novella “The Sandman” (1816).^[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OED's single sense, "one who digs sand; also, in nursery language, a personification of sleep", begins with J. Clare's Village Minstrel (1821).^[2] Merriam-Webster dates the folklore figure to 1835,^[5][6] and Etymonline to 1861, in an English translation of Andersen's Ole Lukoie ("Ole Shut-eye", 1842), a tale based on old Danish lore.^[3]

Semantic evolution

The sandman is a figure of nursery lore who makes children sleepy by sprinkling sand in their eyes, and the word is often used simply to personify sleep.^[5][7][8] Etymonline notes that it is more common in the United States, and that dustman in the same sense is recorded from 1821.^[3][2] Hendrickson calls it the American personification of sleepiness, dating from the mid-19th century, and names as counterparts the Scandinavian Olaf Shuteye and the Scottish Wee Willie Winkie; parents tell children that the sandman is coming.^[9] Merriam-Webster Unabridged also records the literal sense, a worker who screens, mixes or loads sand, or who sands surfaces.^[5]

Timeline

• 1821 – one who digs sand; also, in nursery language, a personification of sleep.^[2]
• 1835 – the folklore figure who makes children sleepy with sand.^[5][6] Etymonline dates it to 1861.^[3]

Meanings

Noun

1. In folklore, a figure who makes children sleepy by sprinkling sand in their eyes; often a personification of sleep: The sandman will soon be here.^[8][7][5]
2. A worker who digs, screens, mixes or loads sand, or who sands surfaces with an abrasive.^[5][2]

Related words

• dustman

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c d e f Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
5. ^ a b c d e f Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
6. ^ a b Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
7. ^ a b The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (online 2024), 5th ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
8. ^ a b Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins
9. ^ Hendrickson, Robert (2008), The Facts on File Encyclopedia of Word and Phrase Origins, 4th ed., New York: Facts on File