I. ˈsāˌlēn, -līn adjective
Etymology: Middle English salyne, from Latin salinus, from sal salt + -inus -ine — more at salt
1. : consisting of or containing salt : saliferous
saline deposits
a saline solution
2. : of, relating to, or resembling salt : salty
a saline taste
saline compounds
the saline properties of the water — Alice Duncan-Kemp
3. : consisting of or relating to the salts of the alkali metals or of magnesium
a saline cathartic
II. ˈsāˌlēn, -ˌlīn, in sense 1 often səˈlēn noun
( -s )
Etymology: partly from Middle English salyne, from Latin salinae, plural, saltworks; partly from saline (I) — more at salina
1.
a. : a spring of salt water
b. : a natural deposit of common salt or of any other soluble salt (as left by the evaporation of a lake)
c. : salina 2
2.
a.
(1) : a metallic salt ; especially : a salt of potassium, sodium, or magnesium with a cathartic action
(2) : an aqueous solution of one or more such salts
b. also sa·lin ˈsālə̇n : a crude potash obtained from beet residues and similar sources
3. salines plural : the naturally occurring soluble salts (as common salt, sodium carbonate, sodium nitrate, potassium salts, borax)
4. : a saline solution used in physiology ; especially : physiological salt solution for mammals