quicksand
nounUS /ˈkwɪkˌsænd/
Etymology From Middle English quyksande, from Old English cwecesand (“quicksand”), equivalent to quick (“living”) + sand. Cognate with Swedish kvicksand (“quicksand”), Icelandic kviksandur, kviksyndi (“quicksand”). More at quick, sand.
1
Wet sand that appears firm but in which things readily sink, 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.
2
Figuratively Anything that metaphorically pulls one down or buries one; a treacherous, risky danger
- the quicksands of youth
- Derived terms
- quicksandlike, quicksandy