alkaline
This term carries a sterile, scientific weight, typically evoking images of laboratories, chemical reactions, or geological surveys. It describes a specific chemical state of basicity, often associated with bitterness in taste or a slippery feel when touching a concentrated solution.
In modern wellness culture, the word has shifted toward a pseudo-scientific connotation, appearing in marketing for diets or water that claim to balance the body's internal chemistry. In these contexts, it suggests purity, health, and a corrective opposition to acidity.
Countable when referring to a specific chemical compound or base (an alkaline). Uncountable when referring to the general chemical property of alkalinity.
Meanings
Examples
The company patented a new alkaline filtration system.
Certain minerals make the groundwater naturally alkaline.