Sandy Describes a Beach and a Hair Colour
Sandy means covered in sand or the colour of sand. It is one of the few textures English also uses for hair.
Sandy means covered with sand, or having the pale yellowish-brown colour of sand. The colour use is almost entirely reserved for hair: *sandy-haired* is ordinary English, while nobody describes a sandy car or a sandy coat. English does this with several colour words — *auburn*, *chestnut* and *strawberry blonde* are also hair-only. In soil science *sandy* is a technical grade, describing soil that drains fast because its particles are large.
- Covered with sand. *A sandy beach.*
- Pale yellowish-brown. *Sandy hair.*
- Sandy soil — fast draining. *Sandy soil.*
- Sand — the base word. *Sand.*
- Old English — *sand*. *The source.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Adjective | sandy | Sandy. |
| Comparative | sandier | Sandier. |
| Base | sand | Sand. |
| Compound | sandy-haired | Sandy-haired. |
| Old English | sand | Sand. |
- A long sandy beach curved north.Terrain.
- He was tall and sandy-haired.Colour.
- Sandy soil drains quickly.Gardening.
Hair colour words English keeps for hair
- Sandy — pale yellowish-brown
- Auburn — reddish brown, once meaning whitish
- Chestnut — deep reddish brown
- Strawberry blonde — pale red-gold
- Salt and pepper — mixed grey and dark
From *sand*, Old English *sand*, of Germanic origin, plus the adjective suffix *-y*.
Why is sandy used mainly for hair?
English keeps a set of colour words almost exclusively for hair, including auburn and chestnut. Sandy belongs to that group.
What is sandy soil?
Soil with large particles that drains quickly and holds few nutrients, at the opposite end of the scale from clay.