salinity
Americannoun
-
the quality or condition of being salty; saltiness.
Ocean currents are driven by differences in the temperature and salinity of the water.
-
a measurement of the amount of salt in a given solution.
Adding fresh water to a marsh lowers salinity.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of salinity
Explanation
The word salinity can mean the relative proportion of salt in a solution. Increasing the salinity of a solution will make it sterile, which is why it is often used in medical procedures. The noun salinity is derived from the word saline thought to come from the Latin word salinium meaning "salt cellar" and the suffix ity meaning "condition or quality of being." Mixing salt with water makes a solution with high salinity, which has a sterilizing effect when used in medicine. Salinity is also associated with taste and food. You'll want to avoid foods with high salinity if you have high blood pressure.
Vocabulary lists containing salinity
Physical Geography - Middle School
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Physical Geography - High School
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Weather and Climate - Middle School
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
After just four decades, the lake had dropped nearly 50 feet, doubled in salinity and shrunk to half its original volume.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026
A dribble of mignonette barely tamed their muscular salinity.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 29, 2026
Traditionally, measurements were performed by crews on ships who would sample water columns for data on salinity, said Heide-Jorgensen.
From Barron's ● Aug. 26, 2026
The olive brine acts almost like a finishing seasoning, bringing acidity and salinity that brighten the entire dish.
From Salon ● Jul. 7, 2026
I don’t know whether or not I will do this, but driving along I have planned it in detail even to the kind of pump, the leeching bins, the tests to determine disappearance of salinity.
From "Travels with Charley in Search of America" by John Steinbeck
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
