saline

[ sey-leen, -lahyn ]

/ ˈseɪ lin, -laɪn /

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.

Nearby words

salify, salii, salimeter, salina, salinas, saline, saline agglutinin, saline solution, salinger, salinization, salinize

Origin of saline

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

Related forms

sa·lin·i·ty

[suh-lin-i-tee] /səˈlɪn ɪ ti/, nounhy·per·sa·line, adjectivehy·per·sa·lin·i·ty, nounnon·sa·line, adjective

non·sa·lin·i·ty, nounsem·i·sa·line, adjectivesub·sa·line, adjectivesub·sa·lin·i·ty, nounun·sa·line, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for salinity

Farther to the south in this current the salinity decreases again, as the water is there mixed with fresher water from the South.
The South Pole, Volumes 1 and 2|Roald Amundsen
Temperatures and salinity of the surface waters were taken by him regularly and recorded in his private log.
The Viking Blood|Frederick William Wallace
These various conditions give the explanation of the distribution of salinity and temperature that is seen in the chart.
The South Pole, Volumes 1 and 2|Roald Amundsen
In the middle section the salinity of the surface layers increases to 0.015%, though it is of course greater along the shores.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 5, Slice 4|Various

The salinity depends on the relation between evaporation and the addition of fresh water.
The South Pole, Volumes 1 and 2|Roald Amundsen

British Dictionary definitions for salinity

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

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