Briney

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Having a flavor that is strongly salty like ocean water
2. Characterized by a significant presence of salt, akin to that of maritime waters
3. Having a strong salty taste or aroma similar to seawater

Etymology: The surprising part is that "brine" originally had nothing to do with salt. In Old English, "bryne" meant a burning, a fire or a flame, and its Proto-Germanic ancestor was tied to the idea of burning and heat. The salt sense developed later, so the word for salty water is etymologically a word for fire. The origin of this sense shift is uncertain, which is why the link between burning and brine is usually treated as a possibility rather than a settled fact. Scholars trace the noun back through Middle English "brine" meaning fire, and the chain of meaning from heat to salt water is one of the more puzzling moves in the family's history. Adding "-y" to "brine" produced the adjective, a common English pattern meaning "having the quality of." "Briney" is an alternative spelling of "briny," so it describes something that tastes strongly of salt, such as sea water. The noun and adjective are closely linked, and the adjective is the more basic form.

Synonyms: salty, saline

Antonyms: fresh, sweet