*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of briny

Etymology tree English brine Proto-Indo-European *-kos Proto-Germanic *-gaz Proto-West Germanic *-g Old English -iġ Middle English -y English -y English briny The adjective is from brine (noun) + -y (suffix forming adjec

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
adj

Of, relating to, resembling, or containing brine (“water saturated or strongly impregnated with salt”), such as seawater or tears; salty. · Of a person: difficult to get along with or to like; acerbic, prickly, unlikable.

noun

The ocean, the sea.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Etymology tree English brine Proto-Indo-European *-kos Proto-Germanic *-gaz Proto-West Germanic *-g Old English -iġ Middle English -y English -y English briny The adjective is from brine (noun) + -y (suffix forming adjectives with the sense ‘having the quality of’). The noun is from the adjective.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Root classification mention*bʰreyH-ine-pro
  • Word-formation componentbrineen
  • Word-formation component-yen
Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "root",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*bʰreyH-"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":af",
        "3": "brine",
        "4": "-y<id:adjectival>",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nEnglish brine\nProto-Indo-European *-kos\nProto-Germanic *-gaz\nProto-West Germanic *-g\nOld English -iġ\nMiddle English -y\nEnglish -y\nEnglish briny\n[Appendix:Glossary#inherited|Inherited]] from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Germanic\", \"term\" : \"*-gaz\", \"lang\" : \"gem-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-West Germanic\", \"term\" : \"*-g\", \"lang\" : \"gmw-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Old English\", \"term\" : \"-iġ\", \"lang\" : \"ang\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Middle English\", \"term\" : \"-y\", \"lang\" : \"enm\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"-y\", \"lang\" : \"en\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"is_group\" : true, \"keyword\" : \"affix\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"briny\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"briny\">"
    },
    {
      "name": "lg",
      "args": {
        "1": "adjective"
      },
      "expansion": "adjective"
    },
    {
      "name": "lg",
      "args": {
        "1": "suffix"
      },
      "expansion": "suffix"
    },
    {
      "name": "af",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "brine",
        "3": "-y",
        "pos1": "n",
        "id2": "adjectival",
        "pos2": "suffix forming adjectives with the sense ‘having the quality of’"
      },
      "expansion": "brine (noun) + -y (suffix forming adjectives with the sense ‘having the quality of’)"
    },
    {
      "name": "sup",
      "args": {
        "1": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "¹"
    },
    {
      "name": "lg",
      "args": {
        "1": "noun"
      },
      "expansion": "noun"
    },
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":af",
        "3": "brine",
        "4": "-y<id:adjectival>",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nEnglish brine\nProto-Indo-European *-kos\nProto-Germanic *-gaz\nProto-West Germanic *-g\nOld English -iġ\nMiddle English -y\nEnglish -y\nEnglish briny"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "brine",
      "brine#English"
    ],
    [
      "*-kos",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/-kos#Proto-Indo-European:_adjectives"
    ],
    [
      "*-gaz",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/-gaz#Proto-Germanic:_adjectives"
    ],
    [
      "*-g",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/-g#Proto-West_Germanic:_adjectives"
    ],
    [
      "-iġ",
      "-ig#Old_English:_adjectives"
    ],
    [
      "-y",
      "-y#Middle_English:_adjectives"
    ],
    [
      "-y",
      "-y#English:_adjectival"
    ],
    [
      "brine",
      "brine#English"
    ],
    [
      "-y",
      "-y#English:_adjectival"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "adj",
      "glosses": [
        "Of, relating to, resembling, or containing brine (“water saturated or strongly impregnated with salt”), such as seawater or tears; salty.",
        "Of a person: difficult to get along with or to like; acerbic, prickly, unlikable."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "figuratively"
      ],
      "recordId": "43ac032b9f979e413f3b7227e2c2fa125927960d424d1bf8524a86df3958196f",
      "rawRecordSha256": "f16a242660b30e1be0cafcec5fc81e16ec581867d375f49e5d21c308bbfff06c",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 814903
    },
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "The ocean, the sea."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "humorous",
        "informal"
      ],
      "recordId": "6a9abe8289a94579ea4766af16eb0b3765a8130e6eb2c3ca044cb7287f78fb91",
      "rawRecordSha256": "5fe65cc626d8dc2b1e76bf61c8108ff74b17e87c8117018fc9d54db77ade4983",
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  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
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Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
adj

Especially of the sea: phosphorescent, shining.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

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”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Root classification mention*bʰrewh₁-ine-pro
  • Inherited-form mentionbrineenm · act of burning; fire
  • Inherited-form mentionbryneang · act of burning; fire, flame; heat
  • Inherited-form mention*brunizgem-pro · act of burning; fire
  • Inherited-form mention*bʰrewh₁-ine-pro · to boil; to brew
Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "root",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*bʰrewh₁-"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "uncertain",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "Origin uncertain"
      },
      "expansion": "Origin uncertain"
    },
    {
      "name": "sup",
      "args": {
        "1": "2"
      },
      "expansion": "²"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "brine",
        "t": "act of burning; fire",
        "pos": "n"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English brine (“act of burning; fire”, noun)"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "bryne",
        "t": "act of burning; fire, flame; heat"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English bryne (“act of burning; fire, flame; heat”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*bruniz",
        "t": "act of burning; fire"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *bruniz (“act of burning; fire”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*bʰrewh₁-",
        "t": "to boil; to brew"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Indo-European *bʰrewh₁- (“to boil; to brew”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "brine",
      "brine#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "bryne",
      "bryne#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "*bruniz",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/bruniz"
    ],
    [
      "*brinnaną",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/brinnaną"
    ],
    [
      "*bʰrewh₁-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/bʰrewh₁-"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "adj",
      "glosses": [
        "Especially of the sea: phosphorescent, shining."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "archaic",
        "obsolete"
      ],
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Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for briny →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-YnJpbnk