A liquid mixture used to soak food before cooking to add flavor and tenderness.
From French 'marinade,' from 'mariner' meaning to pickle in brine, from 'marin' (of the sea). Originally, marinating was a way sailors preserved meat and fish during long ocean voyages by soaking them in seawater or salt brine. The technique moved from ship preservation to kitchen enhancement, but kept the maritime name that literally means 'to make it of the sea.'
Every time you marinade chicken for dinner, you're using a preservation technique invented by sailors who needed to keep meat edible during months at sea. The word still carries its oceanic origins - 'marinade' literally means 'make it like the sea' by soaking it in salty liquid.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.