brine

• POS: Noun, Verb (transitive)

CIDE DICTIONARY

brine, n. [AS. bryne a burning, salt liquor, brine, fr. brinnan, brynnan, to burn. See Burn.].

•  Water saturated or strongly impregnated with salt; pickle; hence, any strong saline solution; also, the saline residue or strong mother liquor resulting from the evaporation of natural or artificial waters.  [1913 Webster]
•  The ocean; the water of an ocean, sea, or salt lake.  [1913 Webster]

  "Not long beneath the whelming brine . . . he lay."  [1913 Webster]
•  Tears; -- so called from their saltness.  [1913 Webster]

  "What a deal of brine
  Hath washed thy sallow cheecks for
  Rosaline!"  [1913 Webster]

Brine fly (Zoöl.), a fly of the genus Ephydra, the larvæ of which live in artificial brines and in salt lakes. -- Brine gauge, an instrument for measuring the saltness of a liquid. -- Brine pan, a pit or pan of salt water, where salt is formed by cristallization. -- Brine pit, a salt spring or well, from which water is taken to be boiled or evaporated for making salt. -- Brine pump (Marine Engin.), a pump for changing the water in the boilers, so as to clear them of the brine which collects at the bottom. -- Brine shrimp, Brine worm (Zoöl.), a phyllopod crustacean of the genus Artemia, inhabiting the strong brines of salt works and natural salt lakes. See Artemia. -- Brine spring, a spring of salt water. -- Leach brine (Saltmaking), brine which drops from granulated salt in drying, and is preserved to be boiled again.

brine, v. t. 

•  To steep or saturate in brine.  [1913 Webster]
•  To sprinkle with salt or brine; as, to brine hay.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

brine, n. & v.
--n.
1 water saturated or strongly impregnated with salt.
2 sea water.
--v.tr. soak in or saturate with brine.

Etymology

OE brine, of unkn. orig.

ROGET THESAURUS

brine

Ocean

N sea, ocean, main, deep, brine, salt water, waves, billows, high seas, offing, great waters, watery waste, vasty deep, wave, tide, hydrography, hydrographer, Neptune, Poseidon, Thetis, Triton, Naiad, Nereid, sea nymph, Siren, trident, dolphin, oceanic, marine, maritime, pelagic, pelagian, seagoing, hydrographic, bathybic, cotidal, at sea, on sea, afloat.

Pungency

VB be pungent, bite the tongue, render pungent, season, spice, salt, pepper, pickle, brine, devil, smoke, chew, take snuff.

Saltiness

N saltiness, niter, saltpeter, brine, salty, salt, saline, brackish, briny, salty as brine, salty as a herring, salty as Lot's wife, salty, racy (indecent), take it with a grain of salt.