saline
Americanadjective
-
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.
adjective
-
of, concerned with, consisting of, or containing common salt
a 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
Other Word Forms
- hypersaline adjective
- nonsaline adjective
- salinity noun
- semisaline adjective
- subsaline adjective
- unsaline adjective
Etymology
Origin of saline
First recorded in 1400–50; Middle English: “composed of salt,” from Latin salīnus “salty,” equivalent to sal “salt” + -īnus adjective suffix; sal, -ine 1
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.
After 12 hours, they were nearly 50% whiter than similar teeth brushed with a saline solution.
From Science Daily
Zhdanov's team used the data to map where freshwater meets saline water underground.
From Science Daily
“Mono Lake stands in stark contrast to all other saline lakes in the West — including the Salton Sea and the Great Salt Lake — that are declining in elevation and facing significant environmental issues,” she wrote.
From Los Angeles Times
Water running off farmlands flows into the saline lake, and less water would shrink the lake faster, affecting wildlife and nearby communities where windblown dust brings high asthma rates and other health problems.
From Los Angeles Times
Nematodes can be found in deep ocean sediments, Arctic environments, and even highly saline soils.
From Science Daily
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.
