rhizoverbBeta
DictionaryquicksandUnstable wet sand
noun

quicksand

KWIK-sand/ˈkwɪksænd/

Water-saturated sand that cannot securely support weight.

The hiker's weighted boot sinks into quicksand beside the firmer ground.

An older hiker's weighted boot sinks into pale, water-saturated sand while his other boot remains on firm ground; collapsing sand and water welling around the trapped boot make the unstable surface visible.
Etymology
quickOld Englishliving, alive
+sandOld Englishsand

Quicksand is literally “living sand”: quick retains its older meaning “alive.” The image describes sand that shifts and yields under weight, as though the ground itself were moving.

In context

Old Time Radio Researchers18:19
It sank right into the ground. Yeah, just like Jeff and the are going to sink. Quicksand? You said it, quicksand. A mud bath for both of you, over your heads.
The Lone Ranger - Stampede (1)

More examples

  • A warning sign marks the quicksand near the river.
  • Her boot sinks into the quicksand.
  • Without clear rules, the negotiations sink into legal quicksand.

Forms

quicksand

Similar words

mire
Usually means deep, sticky mud rather than unstable sand.
bog
A wetland with spongy, often peaty ground, not waterlogged sand.