quicksand means wet sand that appears firm but in which things readily sink, often found near rivers or coasts.
quicksand is pronounced /ˈkwɪkˌsænd/.
Why “quicksand” is a great word
Quicksand is a mass of wet sand that appears solid but readily yields to pressure and entraps objects, or by extension, any dangerously unstable or entrapping condition. From Middle English *quyksande*, from Old English *cwecesand* ('quicksand'), equivalent to *quick* ('living, alive') + *sand*. Unlike a *syrtis*, a fixed sandbank that threatens ships, or a *mire*, a spongy bog of mud or peat, quicksand is a liquefied granular suspension—deceptively solid ground given a treacherous, living movement. It is the sudden lurch of the path, the cold seep into boots, and the panicked struggle that only deepens the grave; a perfect metaphor for the traps we walk into with our own weight, where the ground forgets its duty to hold you up.
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.
noun
- Wet sand that appears firm but in which things readily sink, often found near rivers or coasts.e.g.“My feet were firmly lodged in the quicksand, and the more I struggled the more I sank into it.”
- Anything that metaphorically pulls one down or buries one; a treacherous, risky dangere.g.“the quicksands of youth”