What does "brine" mean?
Brine: The ocean; the water of an ocean, sea, or salt lake. Not long beneath the whelming brine . . . he lay. Cowper.
Additional senses
- 2.Tears; -- so called from their saltness. What a deal of brine Hath washed thy sallow cheecks for Rosaline! Shak. 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.
- 3.To steep or saturate in brine.
- 4.To sprinkle with salt or brine; as, to brine hay.
Sources
- Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913 edition (public domain, via GCIDE / Project Gutenberg).
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- Published: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00 · Modified: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00