saline

[ sey-leen, -lahyn ]
/ ˈseɪ lin, -laɪn /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR saline ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

of, containing, or resembling common table salt; salty or saltlike: a saline solution.
of or relating to a chemical salt, especially of sodium, potassium, magnesium, etc., as used as a cathartic.
of or relating to a method of abortion involving injection of hypertonic saline solution into the amniotic cavity during the second trimester.

noun

a sterile solution of sodium chloride used to dilute medications or for intravenous therapy.
salty water; a salty solution.

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Origin of saline

1400–50; Middle English: composed of salt < Latin salīnus salty, equivalent to sal sal + -īnus -ine1

OTHER WORDS FROM saline

Words nearby saline

salify, salii, salimeter, salina, salinas, saline, saline agglutinin, saline solution, salinger, salinization, salinize
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to saline

briny, brackish

Example sentences from the Web for saline

British Dictionary definitions for saline

saline
/ (ˈseɪlaɪn) /

adjective

of, concerned with, consisting of, or containing common salta saline taste
med of or relating to a saline
of, concerned with, consisting of, or containing any chemical salt, esp a metallic salt resembling sodium chloride

noun

med an isotonic solution of sodium chloride in distilled water

Derived forms of saline

salinity (səˈlɪnɪtɪ), noun

Word Origin for saline

C15: from Late Latin salīnus, from Latin sal salt
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medical definitions for saline

saline
[ sā′lēn′, -līn′ ]

adj.

Of, relating to, or containing salt; salty.
Of or relating to chemical salts.

n.

A salt of magnesium or of the alkalis, used in medicine as a cathartic.
A saline solution, especially one that is isotonic to blood.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.

Scientific definitions for saline

saline
[ sā′lēn′ ]

Of or containing salt.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.