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1. Sand that is mixed with water in a collected mass and yields easily to pressure so that objects on its surface tend to sink and become engulfed.
2. oftenquicksandsA place or situation into which entry can be swift and sudden but from which extrication can be difficult or impossible:"This theory of the future entrapped [them] in the quicksands of Vietnam"(Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr.)
[Middle Englishquyksond, living sand : quick, quyk, living; see QUICK + sand, sond, sand; see SAND.]
Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:
The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.