English Explanatory Dictionary

brine

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. Salt water; water saturated or strongly impregnated with salt; a salt-and-water solution for pickling.
  2. The sea or ocean; the water of the sea.
verb
  1. To preserve food in a salt solution.
  2. To prepare and flavor food (especially meat) for cooking by soaking in a salt solution.
name
  1. A surname.

Pronunciation

/ˈbɹaɪ̯n/ En-us-brine.ogg /ˈbɹaːn/ /ˈbɹɑ̟ɪ̯n/ /ˈbɹɒ̈ɪ̯n/

Word forms

brine brines brining brined

Etymology

From Middle English brine, bryne, from Old English brīne, from Proto-West Germanic *brīnā, from Proto-Germanic *brīnǭ (“salt water, brine”) (compare Scots brime, West Frisian brein, Dutch brijn (“brine”), West Flemish brijne), of unknown ultimate origin, but probably from Proto-Indo-European *bʰreyH- (“to cut, maim”). Cognates include Old Irish ro·bria (“may hurt, damage”), Latin friāre (“to rub, crumble”), Slovene bríti (“to shave, shear”), Albanian brej (“to gnaw”), Sanskrit बृणाति (bṛṇā́ti, “they injure, hurt”). Alternatively, from Proto-Indo-European *mriHnós, from *móri (compare Latin marīnus).

Antonyms

debrine desalinate

Related words

bittern

Derived words

brine fly brine lake brineless brine pool brine shrimp brinicle brinish briny leach brine debrine embrine briner
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