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brine

Archaic Terms
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

Salt water, especially the sea; also, tears—used poetically to evoke both oceanic imagery and emotional weeping.

Detailed Definition
“Brine” poetically conflates ocean and tears, symbolizing both vastness and sorrow. Sailors “drown in brine”; lovers weep “briny floods.” This duality enriches maritime and amorous verse, linking external journey to internal state. Its sharp, liquid sound suits elegiac or adventurous tones, making it a compact metaphor for suffering, exile, or cleansing in lyric and epic traditions.
Example
Example in poetry:
"He drowned his sorrows in brine," meaning tears, in a Petrarchan sonnet; In nautical poetry, "brine" signifies the sea: "His bones lie deep in brine"; Shakespeare’s Tempest: "Full fathom five thy father lies... / Those are pearls that were his eyes"—immersed in brine; Milton compares chaos to "briny deep"; "She wept till her cheeks were salt with brine"; The mariner’s tale ends in brine and silence.
Additional Notes
“Brine” poetically conflates sea and tears, enabling metaphors of emotional overflow or exile; sailors “drown in brine,” while lovers weep “briny floods,” linking external and internal desolation in lyric and elegiac modes.
Also Known As
sea ocean saltwater
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