sandy English · revision 6951

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=derivation|attested=c. 1000}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /ˈsændi/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is Middle English sandie, from Old English [[m|ang|sandiġ|t=of the nature of sand]], from [[sand]] and [[-y]].^(Etymonline)^(MWU 2024)^(SOED 2002)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Consisting of or containing much sand: about 1000 in the OED.^(OED 1989)^(SOED 2002)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ Of sand used to measure time, as in an hourglass, it is from 1591,^(OED 1989) and figuratively, lacking cohesion or stability, from 1590.^(OED 1989) Of hair, yellowish-red, is from 1523,^(OED 1989) the 1520s in Etymonline.^(Etymonline) As the name of a colour it is from 1819.^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * c. 1000 – consisting of sand.^(OED 1989)

+ * 1523 – of hair, yellowish-red.^(OED 1989)

+ * 1590 – unstable (figurative).^(OED 1989)

+ * 1819 – a colour.^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Adjective===

+ # Covered with or consisting of [[sand]].^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # Of hair, light yellowish-red.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # Of a pale yellowish-brown colour.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[sandiness]]

+ * [[sandy blight]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[sand]]

+ * [[sandstone]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ Sandy is also a pet form of Alexander, used in Scotland from 1473 and as a nickname for a Scotsman from 1785, a use that also puns on sandy hair.^(OED 1989)^(Etymonline)^(SOED 2002)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}