sand English · revision 5294

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=c. 825|origins=gem-pro *sandą}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /sænd/^(Roach et al. 2011)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|enm|sand|alt=sond, sand]], [[inh|ang|sand]],^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988)^(MWU 2024) from [[gem-pro|*sandą|alt=*sandam]],^(Etymonline)^(Hoad 1986) the source also of Dutch zand, German Sand and Old Norse sandr.^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988) It is related to Greek psámmos and ámathos “sand” and Latin sabulum “coarse sand”,^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988)^(Hoad 1986) once said to be from a root *bhes- “to rub”, though de Vaan takes the Latin from a substrate word and Beekes suggests a Pre-Greek *sam- for psammos.^(Etymonline) Gothic used malma for sand instead.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Fine fragments of rock as found on beaches: about 825 in the OED, before 830 in Barnhart.^(OED 1989)^(Barnhart 1988)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ Historically, the line between sand and gravel was not distinct.^(Etymonline) The shore of the sea, in poetry, is from about 1205,^(OED 1989) and a sandbank from 1495.^(OED 1989) The verb, to sprinkle with sand, is from the late 14th century,^(Etymonline)^(MWU 2024) to bury or fill in with sand from the 1620s, and to polish with sand or sandpaper from 1858.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * c. 825 – sand.^(OED 1989)

+ * c. 1205 – the shore.^(OED 1989)

+ * late 14th century – verb, to sprinkle with sand.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1495 – a sandbank.^(OED 1989)

+ * 1858 – to polish.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Noun===

+ # Loose grains of worn rock, found on beaches and in deserts.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # ''(plural)'' A beach or a [[desert]].^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # A greyish-yellow colour.^(Collins 2023)

+

+ ===Verb===

+ # To smooth a surface with sandpaper or a sander.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # To cover with sand.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[sandable]]

+ * [[sandless]]

+ * [[sandlike]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[sandy]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ An unrelated Old English sand meant a sending, a message or a messenger, and a dish of food; it is obsolete.^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}