bittern

¹

[ bit-ern ]

noun

1. any of several tawny brown herons that inhabit reedy marshes, as Botaurus lentiginosus American bittern, of North America, and B. stellaris, of Europe.
2. any of several small herons of the genus Ixobrychus, as I. exilis least bittern, of temperate and tropical North and South America.

bittern

²

[ bit-ern ]

noun

, Chemistry.

1. 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.

bittern

¹

/ ˈbɪtən /

noun

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

bittern

²

/ ˈbɪtən /

noun

1. 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 History and Origins

Origin of bittern¹

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 ( buteo ) + Latin taurus bull (cited by Pliny as a name for a bird emitting a bellowing sound)

Origin of bittern²

1675–85; variant of bittering; bitter, -ing ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of bittern¹

C17: variant of bittering ; see bitter

Origin of bittern²

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

Example Sentences

Later in the spring, she and Elisabeth saw another kind of heron, an American bittern, skulking in some grass by a swamp.

From The 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.

From Project Gutenberg

It may, therefore, be as well to point out the principal distinctions between this bird and the Common Bittern last mentioned.

From Project Gutenberg

He bolted half a mile with the first boom of the bittern, and his hat lifted with every yelp of the sheitpoke.

From Project Gutenberg

Along the creeks and river sides, and in the wet savannas, six species of the bittern will engage your attention.

From Project Gutenberg

Within three paddle-lengths of my boat, in a patch of dark that must be a nest, stood my least bittern.

From Project Gutenberg