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Sand

 - 13 dictionary results

sand

[sand]
–noun
1. the more or less fine debris of rocks, consisting of small, loose grains, often of quartz.
2. Usually, sands. a tract or region composed principally of sand.
3. the sand or a grain of sand in an hourglass.
4. sands, moments of time or of one's life: At this stage of his career the sands are running out.
5. a light reddish- or brownish-yellow color.
6. Informal. courage; pluck.
7. sleeper (def. 10).
–verb (used with object)
8. to smooth or polish with sand, sandpaper, or some other abrasive: to sand the ends of a board.
9. to sprinkle with or as if with sand: to sand an icy road.
10. to fill up with sand, as a harbor.
11. to add sand to: The mischievous child sanded the sugar.
12. draw a line in the sand, to set a limit; allow to go up to a point but no further.

Origin:
bef. 900; ME (n.), OE; c. G Sand, ON sandr


sand⋅a⋅ble, adjective
sandless, adjective
sandlike, adjective

Sand

[sand; Fr. sahnd]
–noun
George [jawrj; Fr. zhawrzh] (Lucile Aurore Dupin Dudevant), 1804–76, French novelist.

sand.

sleep⋅er

[slee-per]
–noun
1. a person or thing that sleeps.
2. a heavy horizontal timber for distributing loads.
3. Building Trades.
a. any long wooden, metal, or stone piece lying horizontally as a sill or footing.
b. any of a number of wooden pieces, laid upon the ground or upon masonry or concrete, to which floorboards are nailed.
4. a sleeping car.
5. Informal. something or someone that becomes unexpectedly successful or important after a period of being unnoticed, ignored, or considered unpromising or a failure: The play was the sleeper of the season.
6. merchandise that is not quickly sold because its value is not immediately recognized.
7. Often, sleepers. one-piece or two-piece pajamas with feet, esp. for children.
8. bunting 3 .
9. a sofa, chair, or other piece of furniture that is designed to open up or unfold into a bed; convertible.
10. Also called sleep, sand. a globule that forms at the inner corner of the eye, esp. during sleep, from the accumulated secretion of the glands of the eyelid.
11. any of several gobioid fishes of the family Eleotridae, of tropical seas, most species of which have the habit of resting quietly on the bottom.
12. Slang. a spy; mole.
13. Slang. a juvenile delinquent sentenced to serve more than nine months.
14. Bowling. a pin that is hidden from view by another pin.
15. Chiefly British. a timber or beam laid in a railroad track, serving as a foundation or support for the rails; tie.

Origin:
1175–1225; ME; see sleep, -er 1
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To Sand
sand   (sānd)   
n.  
    1. Small loose grains of worn or disintegrated rock.

    2. Geology A sedimentary material, finer than a granule and coarser than silt, with grains between 0.06 and 2.0 millimeters in diameter.

    3. The loose, granular, gritty particles in an hourglass.

    4. sands Moments of allotted time or duration: "The sands are numb'red that makes up my life" (Shakespeare).

  1. A tract of land covered with sand, as a beach or desert. Often used in the plural.

    1. The loose, granular, gritty particles in an hourglass.

    2. sands Moments of allotted time or duration: "The sands are numb'red that makes up my life" (Shakespeare).

  2. Slang Courage; stamina; perseverance: "She had more sand in her than any girl I ever see; in my opinion she was just full of sand" (Mark Twain).

  3. A light grayish brown to yellowish gray.

tr.v.   sand·ed, sand·ing, sands
  1. To sprinkle or cover with or as if with sand.

  2. To polish or scrape with sand or sandpaper.

  3. To mix with sand.

  4. To fill up (a harbor) with sand.


[Middle English, from Old English.]
Sand   (sānd, säɴd)   


(click for larger image in new window)
French writer whose novels, plays, and essays concern the freedom and independence of women. Among her works are the novels Lélia (1833) and Consuelo (1842).
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Slang Dictionary
sand

  1. n.
    sugar. : Do you use sand in your coffee?
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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sleeper

  1. n.
    a sleeping pill. : She took a handful of sleepers with a glass of booze, and that was it.
  2. n.
    someone or something that achieves fame after a period of invisibility. : The movie “Red Willow” was undoubtedly the sleeper of the year, winning six awards.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Word Origin & History

sand 
O.E. sand, from P.Gmc. *sanda- (cf. O.N. sandr, O.Fris. sond, M.Du. sant, Ger. Sand, not recorded in Goth.), from PIE base *samatha- (cf. Gk. psammos "sand," L. sabulum). Metaphoric for "innumerability" since O.E. The verb is first attested c.1374, "to sprinkle with sand," from the noun; meaning "to grind or polish with sand" is from 1858. Sandpaper is attested from 1812; sandstone is from 1668.

sleeper 
c.1225, "one who sleeps, one who is inclined to sleep much," agent noun of sleep (v.). Meaning "railroad sleeping car" is from 1875. Sense of "something whose importance proves to be greater than expected" first attested 1892, originally in Amer.Eng,. sports jargon, probably from earlier gambling slang (1856) sense of "unexpected winning card." Meaning "spy, enemy agent, etc. who remains undercover for a long time before attempting his purpose" first attested 1955, originally in ref. to communist agents in the West.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: sand
Pronunciation: 'sand
Function: noun
: gritty particles in various body tissues or fluids —see BRAIN SAND
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

sand (sānd)
n.
Small, loose grains of worn or disintegrated rock.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Idioms & Phrases

sand

see build on sand; hide one's head in the sand.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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