salinity

American  

[suh-lin-i-tee] / səˈlɪn ɪ ti /

noun

1. the quality or condition of being salty; saltiness.

   Ocean currents are driven by differences in the temperature and salinity of the water.

2. a measurement of the amount of salt in a given solution.

   Adding fresh water to a marsh lowers salinity.

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Other Word Forms

• hypersalinity noun
• nonsalinity noun
• subsalinity noun

Etymology

Origin of salinity

salin(e) ( def. ) + -ity ( def. )

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.

Example Sentences

"There's clearly an attractant in the water," Pepin-Neff says, suggesting that a "perfect storm" of low salinity freshwater could have created a "biodiversity explosion".

From BBC • Jan. 23, 2026

“Salt basically adds salinity, that salty pop of brackishness,” Lieu explains.

From Salon • Dec. 13, 2025

Rising temperatures and increasing salinity place further pressures on the seagrass meadows that dugongs depend on.

From Science Daily • Dec. 12, 2025

"We don't have direct observations going back a century, but the temperature and salinity data let us see the past clearly," Li said.

From Science Daily • Dec. 7, 2025

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