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 (Zoöl.), 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 (Zoöl.), 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 (Zoöl.),
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 (Zoöl.), 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 (Zoöl.), the
redshank. [Prov. Eng.] -- Sand collar.
(Zoöl.) Same as Sand saucer, below. --
Sand crab. (Zoöl.) (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 (Zoöl.), 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 (Zoöl.),
any ophidioid fish. See Illust. under
Ophidioid. -- Sand dab
(Zoöl.), a small American flounder (Limanda
ferruginea); -- called also rusty dab. The name is also
applied locally to other allied species. -- Sand
darter (Zoöl.), a small etheostomoid fish of
the Ohio valley (Ammocrypta pellucida). -- Sand
dollar (Zoöl.), 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.
(Zoöl.) (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. (Zoöl.)
(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. (Zoöl.)
(a) The sandnecker. (b)
The European smooth dab (Pleuronectes microcephalus); --
called also kitt, marysole, smear dab, town
dab. -- Sand fly (Zoöl.),
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
(Zoöl.), 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 (Zoöl.), the
American brown crane (Grus Mexicana). -- Sand
hopper (Zoöl.), a beach flea; an
orchestian. -- Sand hornet (Zoöl.),
a sand wasp. -- Sand lark.
(Zoöl.) (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 (Ægialophilus ruficapillus); -- called
also red-necked plover. -- Sand launce
(Zoöl.), a lant, or launce. -- Sand
lizard (Zoöl.), a common European lizard
(Lacerta agilis). -- Sand martin
(Zoöl.), the bank swallow. -- Sand
mole (Zoöl.), the coast rat. --
Sand monitor (Zoöl.), a large
Egyptian lizard (Monitor arenarius) which inhabits dry
localities. -- Sand mouse (Zoöl.),
the dunlin. [Prov. Eng.] -- Sand myrtle.
(Bot.) See under Myrtle. -- Sand
partridge (Zoöl.), 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. (Zoöl.)
(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 (Zoöl.),
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 (Zoöl.), the pocket
gopher. -- Sand rock, a rock made of
cemented sand. -- Sand runner
(Zoöl.), the turnstone. -- Sand
saucer (Zoöl.), the mass of egg capsules, or
oöthecæ, 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 (Zoöl.), an amphipod
crustacean (Lepidactylis arenarius), which burrows in the sandy
seabeaches of Europe and America. -- Sand shark
(Zoöl.), 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 (Zoöl.), 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 (Zoöl.),
a beach flea, or orchestian. -- Sand smelt
(Zoöl.), a silverside. -- Sand
snake. (Zoöl.) (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
(Zoöl.), the sandpiper. -- Sand
star (Zoöl.), 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 (Zoöl.), 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) (Zoöl.) Any tube
made of cemented sand. (c) (Zoöl.)
In starfishes, a tube having calcareous particles in its wall,
which connects the oral water tube with the madreporic plate. --
Sand viper. (Zoöl.) See Hognose
snake. -- Sand wasp (Zoöl.),
any one of numerous species of hymenopterous insects belonging to
the families Pompilidæ and Spheridæ, 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.