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sabbia

sand

noun SAHB-byah Rare
Animals & Nature Geography

Origin: From Latin sabulum (coarse sand, gravel).

Usage Note

Sabbia is feminine: la sabbia. The plural sabbie is used in geographical contexts (le sabbie mobili = quicksand) or to indicate types of sand, but the singular is far more common. Castello di sabbia (sandcastle) and orologio a sabbia (hourglass, literally 'sand clock') are handy compound expressions.

Examples

"I bambini giocano sulla sabbia."

Natural Translation

The children are playing on the sand.

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