From Rocks to Sands
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Tap any rung for its meaning.
The H is a stepping stone — borrowed at rung 3 to keep hanks a real word, then given back at the summit. There may be several par routes — the census above shows which ones climbers actually took.
A hard, solid piece of stone.
From Old French 'roque' or 'roche', meaning a large stone or cliff. The Old French word's earlier origins are uncertain, possibly from a Latin regional term. 'Rocky' is a straightforward modern descendant.
Full entry on Wiktionary ↗Tiny grains of rock found on beaches and deserts.
From Old English 'sand,' which goes back to a common Germanic root. Related words appear in Dutch, German, and the Scandinavian languages. The word is thought to be connected to an ancient root meaning to grind or crumble.
Full entry on Wiktionary ↗Definitions give each word’s most common meaning — the full entries live at Wiktionary.