quicksand

From Middle English quyksande, from Old English cwecesand (“quicksand”), from *kwikwaz (“living, active”) +‎ *samdaz (“sand”); equivalent to quick (“living”) +‎ sand. Cognate with Dutch kwikzand (“quicksand”), German Quicksand (“quicksand”), Icelandic kviksandur, kviksyndi (“quicksand”). More at quick, sand.

quicksand (countable and uncountable, plural quicksands)

1. Wet sand that things readily sink in, often found near rivers or coasts

   My feet were firmly lodged in the quicksand, and the more I struggled the more I sank into it.

2. Anything that pulls one down or buries one metaphorically

   The quicksands of youth...