brine

[brahyn]

noun

1. water saturated or strongly impregnated with salt.

2. a salt and water solution for pickling.

3. the sea or ocean.

4. the water of the sea.

5. Chemistry.,  any saline solution.

verb (used with object)

brined, brining 

1. to treat with or steep in brine.

brine

/ braɪn /

noun

1. a strong solution of salt and water, used for salting and pickling meats, etc

2. the sea or its water

3. chem

   1. a concentrated solution of sodium chloride in water

   2. any solution of a salt in water

      a potassium chloride brine

verb

1. (tr) to soak in or treat with brine

brine

1. Water saturated with or containing large amounts of a salt, especially sodium chloride. The high salt content is usually due to evaporation or freezing.

2. The water of a sea or ocean.

Other Word Forms

• brineless adjective
• briner noun
• brinish adjective
• brinishness noun
• unbrined adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of brine¹

First recorded before 1000; Middle English; Old English brȳne; cognate with Dutch brijn

Word History and Origins

Origin of brine¹

Old English brīne ; related to Middle Dutch brīne , Old Slavonic bridŭ bitter, Sanskrit bibhrāya burnt

Example Sentences

It’s almost as if the Reds were intimidated even before the game began, as the Dodgers buried them in their thickest pregame brine.

From Los Angeles Times

Maybe some chopped black olives for an extra kick of brine.

From Salon

Tangy, herbaceous pickle brine paired with sweet yet tart lemonade is a summertime match made in heaven.

From Salon

Utah’s Great Salt, another critical stopover, declined in 2022 to its lowest level on record, making the water saltier and more difficult for brine shrimp and flies to reproduce.

From Los Angeles Times

“I got one!” he says, passing around the cup, where a tiny brine shrimp is swimming.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• marinade 
• vinegar