ETYM as. sand; akin to Dutch zand, German sand, Old High Germ. sant, Icel. sandr, Dan. and Swed. sand, Greek.
A loose material consisting of grains of rock or coral.
Loose grains of rock, sized 0.0625–2.00 mm/0.0025–0.08 in in diameter, consisting chiefly of quartz, but owing their varying color to mixtures of other minerals. Sand is used in cement-making, as an abrasive, in glass-making, and for other purposes.
Sands are classified into marine, freshwater, glacial, and terrestrial. Some “light” soils contain up to 50% sand. Sands may eventually consolidate into sandstone.

1. To grind down or make smooth by rubbing with an abrasive object, esp. with sandpaper.
2. To cover with sand.
3. To mix with sand for purposes of fraud

Pen name of Amandine Aurore Lucie Dupin (1804-1876) French author. Her prolific literary output was often autobiographical. In 1831 she left her husband after nine years of marriage and, while living in Paris as a writer, had love affairs with Alfred de Musset, Chopin, and others. Her first novel Indiana 1832 was a plea for women’s right to independence.
Her other novels include la Mare au diable/The Devil’s Pool 1846 and la Petite Fadette/The Little Fairy 1848. In 1848 she retired to the château of Nohant, in central France.