bittern

[ bit-ern ]

/ ˈbɪt ərn /

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noun

any of several tawny brown herons that inhabit reedy marshes, as Botaurus lentiginosus(American bittern ), of North America, and B. stellaris, of Europe.

any of several small herons of the genus Ixobrychus, as I. exilis(least bittern ), of temperate and tropical North and South America.

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Origin of bittern

1510–20; bitter, bittor bittern + -n (perhaps by association with heron), Middle English bito(u)r, butur, boto(u)r<Anglo-French bytore,Anglo-French, Old French butor<Vulgar Latin *būtitaurus, equivalent to *būti-, perhaps to be identified with Latin būteō a species of hawk (see buteo) + Latin taurus bull (cited by Pliny as a name for a bird emitting a bellowing sound)

Words nearby bittern

bitter herb, bitter lake, Bitter Lakes, bitterling, bitter melon, bittern, bitterness, bitternut, bitter orange, bitter pill, bitter pill to swallow

Other definitions for bittern (2 of 2)

bittern²

[ bit-ern ]

/ ˈbɪt ərn /

noun Chemistry.

a bitter solution remaining in salt making after the salt has crystallized out of seawater or brine, used as a source of bromides, iodides, and certain other salts.

Origin of bittern

1675–85; variant of bittering;see bitter, -ing¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use bittern in a sentence

Later in the spring, she and Elisabeth saw another kind of heron, an American bittern, skulking in some grass by a swamp.
One Year to Live|Olivia Gentile|April 12, 2009|DAILY BEAST
The great auk is but a memory; the bittern booms more rarely in our eastern marshes; and now they tell me Brigadiers are extinct.
Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 158, April 28, 1920|Various
It may, therefore, be as well to point out the principal distinctions between this bird and the Common Bittern last mentioned.
Birds of Guernsey (1879)|Cecil Smith
He bolted half a mile with the first boom of the bittern, and his hat lifted with every yelp of the sheitpoke.
Freckles|Gene Stratton-Porter

Along the creeks and river sides, and in the wet savannas, six species of the bittern will engage your attention.
Wanderings in South America|Charles Waterton
Within three paddle-lengths of my boat, in a patch of dark that must be a nest, stood my least bittern.
Roof and Meadow|Dallas Lore Sharp

British Dictionary definitions for bittern (1 of 2)

bittern¹

/ (ˈbɪtən) /

noun

any wading bird of the genera Ixobrychus and Botaurus, related and similar to the herons but with shorter legs and neck, a stouter body, and a booming call: family Ardeidae, order Ciconiiformes

Word Origin for bittern

C14: from Old French butor, perhaps from Latin būtiō bittern + taurus bull; referring to its cry

British Dictionary definitions for bittern (2 of 2)

bittern²

/ (ˈbɪtən) /

noun

the bitter liquid remaining after common salt has been crystallized out of sea water: a source of magnesium, bromine, and iodine compounds

Word Origin for bittern

C17: variant of bittering; see bitter

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012