Crossword Dictionary

What's The Definition Of Sand?

\Sand\, n. [AS. sand; akin to D. zand, G. sand, OHG. sant, Icel. sandr, Dan. & Sw. sand, Gr. ?.] 1. Fine particles of stone, esp. of siliceous stone, but not reduced to dust; comminuted stone in the form of loose grains, which are not coherent when wet. That finer matter, called sand, is no other than very small pebbles. --Woodward. 2. A single particle of such stone. [R.] --Shak. 3. The sand in the hourglass; hence, a moment or interval of time; the term or extent of one's life. The sands are numbered that make up my life. --Shak. 4. pl. Tracts of land consisting of sand, like the deserts of Arabia and Africa; also, extensive tracts of sand exposed by the ebb of the tide. ``The Libyan sands.'' --Milton. ``The sands o' Dee.'' --C. Kingsley. 5. Courage; pluck; grit. [Slang] {Sand badger} (Zo["o]l.), the Japanese badger ({Meles ankuma}). {Sand bag}. (a) A bag filled with sand or earth, used for various purposes, as in fortification, for ballast, etc. (b) A long bag filled with sand, used as a club by assassins. {Sand ball}, soap mixed with sand, made into a ball for use at the toilet. {Sand bath}. (a) (Chem.) A vessel of hot sand in a laboratory, in which vessels that are to be heated are partially immersed. (b) A bath in which the body is immersed in hot sand. {Sand bed}, a thick layer of sand, whether deposited naturally or artificially; specifically, a thick layer of sand into which molten metal is run in casting, or from a reducing furnace. {Sand birds} (Zo["o]l.), a collective name for numerous species of limicoline birds, such as the sandpipers, plovers, tattlers, and many others; -- called also {shore birds}. {Sand blast}, a process of engraving and cutting glass and other hard substances by driving sand against them by a steam jet or otherwise; also, the apparatus used in the process. {Sand box}. (a) A box with a perforated top or cover, for sprinkling paper with sand. (b) A box carried on locomotives, from which sand runs on the rails in front of the driving wheel, to prevent slipping. {Sand-box tree} (Bot.), a tropical American tree ({Hura crepitans}). Its fruit is a depressed many-celled woody capsule which, when completely dry, bursts with a loud report and scatters the seeds. See Illust. of {Regma}. {Sand bug} (Zo["o]l.), an American anomuran crustacean ({Hippa talpoidea}) which burrows in sandy seabeaches. It is often used as bait by fishermen. See Illust. under {Anomura}. {Sand canal} (Zo["o]l.), a tubular vessel having a calcareous coating, and connecting the oral ambulacral ring with the madreporic tubercle. It appears to be excretory in function. {Sand cock} (Zo["o]l.), the redshank. [Prov. Eng.] {Sand collar}. (Zo["o]l.) Same as {Sand saucer}, below. {Sand crab}. (Zo["o]l.) (a) The lady crab. (b) A land crab, or ocypodian. {Sand crack} (Far.), a crack extending downward from the coronet, in the wall of a horse's hoof, which often causes lameness. {Sand cricket} (Zo["o]l.), any one of several species of large terrestrial crickets of the genus {Stenophelmatus} and allied genera, native of the sandy plains of the Western United States. {Sand cusk} (Zo["o]l.), any ophidioid fish. See {Illust.} under {Ophidioid}. {Sand dab} (Zo["o]l.), a small American flounder ({Limanda ferruginea}); -- called also {rusty dab}. The name is also applied locally to other allied species. {Sand darter} (Zo["o]l.), a small etheostomoid fish of the Ohio valley ({Ammocrypta pellucida}). {Sand dollar} (Zo["o]l.), any one of several species of small flat circular sea urchins, which live on sandy bottoms, especially {Echinarachnius parma} of the American coast. {Sand drift}, drifting sand; also, a mound or bank of drifted sand. {Sand eel}. (Zo["o]l.) (a) A lant, or launce. (b) A slender Pacific Ocean fish of the genus {Gonorhynchus}, having barbels about the mouth. {Sand flag}, sandstone which splits up into flagstones. {Sand flea}. (Zo["o]l.) (a) Any species of flea which inhabits, or breeds in, sandy places, especially the common dog flea. (b) The chigoe. (c) Any leaping amphipod crustacean; a beach flea, or orchestian. See {Beach flea}, under {Beach}. {Sand flood}, a vast body of sand borne along by the wind. --James Bruce. {Sand fluke}. (Zo["o]l.) (a) The sandnecker. (b) The European smooth dab ({Pleuronectes microcephalus}); -- called also {kitt}, {marysole}, {smear dab}, {town dab}. {Sand fly} (Zo["o]l.), any one of several species of small dipterous flies of the genus {Simulium}, abounding on sandy shores, especially {Simulium nocivum} of the United States. They are very troublesome on account of their biting habits. Called also {no-see-um}, {punky}, and {midge}. {Sand gall}. (Geol.) See {Sand pipe}, below. {Sand grass} (Bot.), any species of grass which grows in sand; especially, a tufted grass ({Triplasis purpurea}) with numerous bearded joints, and acid awl-shaped leaves, growing on the Atlantic coast. {Sand grouse} (Zo["o]l.), any one of many species of Old World birds belonging to the suborder Pterocletes, and resembling both grouse and pigeons. Called also {rock grouse}, {rock pigeon}, and {ganga}. They mostly belong to the genus {Pterocles}, as the common Indian species ({P. exustus}). The large sand grouse ({P. arenarius}), the painted sand grouse ({P. fasciatus}), and the pintail sand grouse ({P. alchata}) are also found in India. See Illust. under {Pterocletes}. {Sand hill}, a hill of sand; a dune. {Sand-hill crane} (Zo["o]l.), the American brown crane ({Grus Mexicana}). {Sand hopper} (Zo["o]l.), a beach flea; an orchestian. {Sand hornet} (Zo["o]l.), a sand wasp. {Sand lark}. (Zo["o]l.) (a) A small lark ({Alaudala raytal}), native of India. (b) A small sandpiper, or plover, as the ringneck, the sanderling, and the common European sandpiper. (c) The Australian red-capped dotterel ({[AE]gialophilus ruficapillus}); -- called also {red-necked plover}. {Sand launce} (Zo["o]l.), a lant, or launce. {Sand lizard} (Zo["o]l.), a common European lizard ({Lacerta agilis}). {Sand martin} (Zo["o]l.), the bank swallow. {Sand mole} (Zo["o]l.), the coast rat. {Sand monitor} (Zo["o]l.), a large Egyptian lizard ({Monitor arenarius}) which inhabits dry localities. {Sand mouse} (Zo["o]l.), the dunlin. [Prov. Eng.] {Sand myrtle}. (Bot.) See under {Myrtle}. {Sand partridge} (Zo["o]l.), either of two small Asiatic partridges of the genus {Ammoperdix}. The wings are long and the tarsus is spurless. One species ({A. Heeji}) inhabits Palestine and Arabia. The other species ({A. Bonhami}), inhabiting Central Asia, is called also {seesee partridge}, and {teehoo}. {Sand picture}, a picture made by putting sand of different colors on an adhesive surface. {Sand pike}. (Zo["o]l.) (a) The sauger. (b) The lizard fish. {Sand pillar}, a sand storm which takes the form of a whirling pillar in its progress in desert tracts like those of the Sahara and Mongolia. {Sand pipe} (Geol.), a tubular cavity, from a few inches to several feet in depth, occurring especially in calcareous rocks, and often filled with gravel, sand, etc.; -- called also {sand gall}. {Sand pride} (Zo["o]l.), a small British lamprey now considered to be the young of larger species; -- called also {sand prey}. {Sand pump}, in artesian well boring, a long, slender bucket with a valve at the bottom for raising sand from the well. {Sand rat} (Zo["o]l.), the pocket gopher. {Sand rock}, a rock made of cemented sand. {Sand runner} (Zo["o]l.), the turnstone. {Sand saucer} (Zo["o]l.), the mass of egg capsules, or o["o]thec[ae], of any mollusk of the genus {Natica} and allied genera. It has the shape of a bottomless saucer, and is coated with fine sand; -- called also {sand collar}. {Sand screw} (Zo["o]l.), an amphipod crustacean ({Lepidactylis arenarius}), which burrows in the sandy seabeaches of Europe and America. {Sand shark} (Zo["o]l.), an American shark ({Odontaspis littoralis}) found on the sandy coasts of the Eastern United States; -- called also {gray shark}, and {dogfish shark}. See Illust. under {Remora}. {Sand skink} (Zo["o]l.), any one of several species of Old World lizards belonging to the genus {Seps}; as, the ocellated sand skink ({Seps ocellatus}) of Southern Europe. {Sand skipper} (Zo["o]l.), a beach flea, or orchestian. {Sand smelt} (Zo["o]l.), a silverside. {Sand snake}. (Zo["o]l.) (a) Any one of several species of harmless burrowing snakes of the genus {Eryx}, native of Southern Europe, Africa, and Asia, especially {E. jaculus} of India and {E. Johnii}, used by snake charmers. (b) Any innocuous South African snake of the genus {Psammophis}, especially {P. sibilans}. {Sand snipe} (Zo["o]l.), the sandpiper. {Sand star} (Zo["o]l.), an ophiurioid starfish living on sandy sea bottoms; a brittle star. {Sand storm}, a cloud of sand driven violently by the wind. {Sand sucker}, the sandnecker. {Sand swallow} (Zo["o]l.), the bank swallow. See under {Bank}. {Sand tube}, a tube made of sand. Especially: (a) A tube of vitrified sand, produced by a stroke of lightning; a fulgurite. (b) (Zo["o]l.) Any tube made of cemented sand. (c) (Zo["o]l.) In starfishes, a tube having calcareous particles in its wall, which connects the oral water tube with the madreporic plate. {Sand viper}. (Zo["o]l.) See {Hognose snake}. {Sand wasp} (Zo["o]l.), any one of numerous species of hymenopterous insects belonging to the families {Pompilid[ae]} and {Spherid[ae]}, which dig burrows in sand. The female provisions the nest with insects or spiders which she paralyzes by stinging, and which serve as food for her young.
\Sand\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Sanded}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Sanding}.] 1. To sprinkle or cover with sand. 2. To drive upon the sand. [Obs.] --Burton. 3. To bury (oysters) beneath drifting sand or mud. 4. To mix with sand for purposes of fraud; as, to sand sugar. [Colloq.]