bittern
1any 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.
Origin of bittern
1Words Nearby bittern
Other definitions for bittern (2 of 2)
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
2Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
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.
The great auk is but a memory; the bittern booms more rarely in our eastern marshes; and now they tell me Brigadiers are extinct.
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 SmithHe bolted half a mile with the first boom of the bittern, and his hat lifted with every yelp of the sheitpoke.
Freckles | Gene Stratton-PorterAlong 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)
/ (ˈbɪtən) /
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
Origin of bittern
1British Dictionary definitions for bittern (2 of 2)
/ (ˈbɪtən) /
the bitter liquid remaining after common salt has been crystallized out of sea water: a source of magnesium, bromine, and iodine compounds
Origin of bittern
2Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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