Brine
/braɪn/noun
Water saturated or strongly flavored with salt; also, the salty liquid used for preserving food.
Did you know?Brine comes from a Germanic root meaning “to burn” or “boil,” because early salt-making was tied to boiling down salty water, not just the liquid itself.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*bher-
“to boil, seethe, bubble”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*brinō
“boiling liquid; salty water”
Old English
Old English
brȳne
“salty water, brine”
Middle English
English
brine
“salt water; liquid used for pickling or curing”
Modern English
English
brine
“strong salt water or a salt solution used in food preservation”