kwikzand

Dutch

Etymology

Although Middle Dutch quicsant is attested, it is not clear whether there is a continuous relationship with Dutch kwikzand. Alternatively, the word may have been re-introduced by borrowing from English quicksand, or occasionally from Swedish kvicksand. Equivalent to kwik + zand. Compare kwikzilver.

Noun

kwikzand n (plural kwikzanden, diminutive kwikzandje n)

  1. (archaic) quicksand
    Synonyms: drijfzand, welzand
    • 1770: Ik heb een gewas (…) gebruikt (…) alsmede het Duinhelm dat het kwikzand zo heerlijk dempt (…) (Abraham Blussé, Reizen van den Ridder Karel Linnéus door Eenige Landschappen van Zweeden, Eerste Deel, )
    • 2013: Het was net of ik hoge sprongen maakte in kwikzand (Lennart Hagerfors, in Dromen over Afrika, )

Usage notes

The word does not occur in the Woordenlijst Nederlandse Taal, which lists Dutch words in the official orthography, and is generally considered a non-nativized anglicism.

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