brine

brine · noun, verb¹

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*mriHnós
2. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*bʰreyH-“to cut, maim”
3. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*brīnǭ“salt water, brine”
4. Proto-West Germanic · inherited from*brīnā
5. Old English · inherited frombrīne
6. Middle English · inherited frombrine
7. English todaybrine

From Middle English brine, bryne, from Old English brīne, from Proto-West Germanic *brīnā, from Proto-Germanic *brīnǭ (“salt water, brine”) (compare Scots brime, West Frisian brein, Dutch brijn (“brine”), West Flemish brijne), of unknown ultimate origin, but probably from Proto-Indo-European *bʰreyH- (“to cut, maim”). Cognates include Old Irish ro·bria (“may hurt, damage”), Latin friāre (“to rub, crumble”), Slovene bríti (“to shave, shear”), Albanian brej (“to gnaw”), Sanskrit बृणाति (bṛṇā́ti, “they injure, hurt”). Alternatively, from Proto-Indo-European *mriHnós, from *móri (compare Latin marīnus).

Brine · proper noun²

1. Old English · derived frombryne“burning”
2. English todayBrine

* As a Dutch surname, Americanized from Bruin. * As an English surname, possibly from Old English bryne (“burning”).

Words from the same roots