saline

American  

[sey-leen, -lahyn] / ˈseɪ lin, -laɪn /

adjective

1. of, containing, or resembling common table salt; salty or saltlike.

   a saline solution.

2. of or relating to a chemical salt, especially of sodium, potassium, magnesium, etc., as used as a cathartic.

3. of or relating to a method of abortion involving injection of hypertonic saline solution into the amniotic cavity during the second trimester.

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noun

1. a sterile solution of sodium chloride used to dilute medications or for intravenous therapy.

2. salty water; a salty solution.

saline British  

/ səˈlɪnɪtɪ, ˈseɪlaɪn /

adjective

1. of, concerned with, consisting of, or containing common salt

   a saline taste

2. med of or relating to a saline

3. of, concerned with, consisting of, or containing any chemical salt, esp a metallic salt resembling sodium chloride

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noun

1. med an isotonic solution of sodium chloride in distilled water

saline Scientific  

/ sā′lēn′ /

1. Of or containing salt.

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Other Word Forms

• hypersaline adjective
• nonsaline adjective
• salinity noun
• semisaline adjective
• subsaline adjective
• unsaline adjective

Etymology

Origin of saline

First recorded in 1400–50; Middle English: “composed of salt,” from Latin salīnus “salty,” equivalent to sal “salt” + -īnus adjective suffix; sal, -ine ¹

Explanation

Saline is an adjective that means "salty." While "salty" is a perfectly good word to use when describing French fries or tears, saline tends to be a word you might hear in a more official setting, like in a hospital or in a geology class. If you watch a lot of hospital dramas on TV, you have definitely heard the exclamation, “Nurse, the patient needs an IV saline solution, stat!” because sick people in hospitals tend to get saline solutions to keep them hydrated. Saline mostly has a scientific meaning; it is not usually used to mean salty tasting. If you want to get really scientific, salt is actually called sodium chloride, but "sodium chloride pretzels" would probably not fly off the grocery store shelves.

Example Sentences

Zhdanov's team used the data to map where freshwater meets saline water underground.

From Science Daily • Mar. 21, 2026

"The antivenom is mixed with saline and injected intravenously over an hour, but many centres aren't equipped to manage the side-effects," Jain says.

From BBC • Feb. 1, 2026

I watched a medic spray a man with saline solution, while another medic treated a man with frostbite, at tables that would normally be set for lunch.

From Slate • Jan. 25, 2026

The woman said in the suit that Rubin requested she replace her saline implants with silicone, since that was a sturdier material.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 18, 2026

Mom pushes down on the hypodermic syringe full of saline to flush the wound.

From "Burning Blue" by Paul Griffin

Related Words

• briny