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.
Rising sea levels and surging tides from increasingly powerful storms -- resulting in an increase in soil salinity -- have degraded agricultural lands, pushing people into tiger territory.
From Barron's • Apr. 28, 2026
These changes are likely affecting salinity, nutrient cycles, and food webs in the Beaufort Sea.
From Science Daily • Apr. 4, 2026
Factors that vary widely throughout the region—such as seafloor topography, temperature, salinity and the presence of fresh water from melting ice—can play havoc with sonar signals.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 11, 2026
The report added there was "no documented procedure available for the storing of live lobster, in particular control measures in relation to the water treatment, water temperature, salinity, waste filtration".
From BBC • Feb. 11, 2026
Did the water change salinity so subtly that it was too late by the time the fish realized it?
From "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel
Definitions 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.
