Definitions for quicksandˈkwɪkˌsænd
This page provides all possible meanings and translations of the word quicksand
a treacherous situation that tends to entrap and destroy
a pit filled with loose wet sand into which objects are sucked down
Wet sand that things readily sink in, often found near rivers or coasts
My feet were firmly lodged in the quicksand, and the more I struggled the more I sank into it.
Anything that pulls one down or buries one metaphorically
The quicksands of youth...
Origin: From quyksande, from cwecesand, from kwikwaz + samdaz, equivalent to . Cognate with kwikzand, Quicksand, kwiksandur, kviksyndi. More at quick, sand.
sand easily moved or readily yielding to pressure; especially, a deep mass of loose or moving sand mixed with water, sometimes found at the mouth of a river or along some coasts, and very dangerous, from the difficulty of extricating a person who begins sinking into it
Quicksand is a colloid hydrogel consisting of fine granular material, clay, and water. Quicksand forms in saturated loose sand when the sand is suddenly agitated. When water in the sand cannot escape, it creates a liquefied soil that loses strength and cannot support weight. Quicksand can form in standing water or in upwards flowing water. In the case of upwards flowing water, seepage forces oppose the force of gravity and suspend the soil particles. The saturated sediment may appear quite solid until a sudden change in pressure or shock initiates liquefaction. This causes the sand to form a suspension and lose strength. The cushioning of water gives quicksand, and other liquefied sediments, a spongy, fluidlike texture. Objects in liquefied sand sink to the level at which the weight of the object is equal to the weight of the displaced soil/water mix and the submerged object floats due to its buoyancy. Liquefaction is a special case of quicksand. In this case, sudden earthquake forces immediately increases the pore pressure of shallow groundwater. The saturated liquefied soil loses strength, causing buildings or other objects on that surface to sink or fall over.
The Nuttall Encyclopedia
sandbank so saturated with water that it gives way under pressure; found near the mouths of rivers.
The numerical value of quicksand in Chaldean Numerology is: 8
The numerical value of quicksand in Pythagorean Numerology is: 9
Sample Sentences & Example Usage
Vanity is the quicksand of reason.
I worship the quicksand he walks in.
Luxury! more perilous to youth than storms or quicksand, poverty or chains.
The only way to get out of this muck, out of this quicksand the market's in, is to have a few good days in a row.
The real question of government versus private enterprise is argued on too philosophical and abstract a basis. Theoretically, planning may be good. But nobody has ever figured out the cause of government stupidity and until they do (and find the cure) all ideal plans will fall into quicksand.
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Translations for quicksand
From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary
- tekutý písekCzech
- κινούμενη άμμοςGreek
- arenas movedizasSpanish
- ماسه بادیPersian
- sables mouvantsFrench
- sabbie mobiliItalian
- kviksand, kvikksandNorwegian Nynorsk
- areia movediçaPortuguese
- зыбучие пескиRussian
- živi pijesakSerbo-Croatian
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