sand-dwelling
|sand-dwell-ing|
/ˈsændˌdwɛlɪŋ/
live in sand
Etymology
'sand-dwelling' originates from English, specifically a compound of 'sand' and the present participle 'dwelling', where 'sand' meant 'sand' and 'dwell' meant 'to live or remain'.
'sand' comes from Old English 'sand'; 'dwell' comes from Old English 'dwellan' (and Middle English 'dwellen'), which gave the modern verb 'dwell' and the participle 'dwelling', combined in modern English to form the compound 'sand-dwelling'.
Initially it literally described the act of 'living in sand'; over time it has remained largely literal and is used as an attributive adjective or nominalized compound to describe organisms or habits associated with sandy habitats.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a creature or organism that lives in sand (used as a nominalized adjective or compound noun).
Scientists catalogued several sand-dwelling species from the beach survey.
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Adjective 1
living in or adapted to live in sand; inhabiting sandy environments.
Many sand-dwelling insects are well camouflaged against the dunes.
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Last updated: 2025/10/25 12:52