briny

briny · adjective, noun¹

The adjective is from brine (noun) + -y (suffix forming adjectives with the sense ‘having the quality of’). The noun is from the adjective.

briny · adjective²

1. Proto-Indo-European · inherited from*bʰrewh₁-“to boil; to brew”
2. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*bruniz“act of burning; fire”
3. Old English · inherited frombryne“act of burning; fire, flame; heat”
4. Middle English · inherited frombrine“act of burning; fire”
5. English todaybriny

Origin uncertain, possibly from Middle English brine (“act of burning; fire”, noun), from Old English bryne (“act of burning; fire, flame; heat”), from Proto-Germanic *bruniz (“act of burning; fire”), from *brinnaną (“to be on fire, burn”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰrewh₁- (“to boil; to brew”).

Words from the same roots