Definition of "bittern" [bit•tern]

• Any of several wading birds of the genera Botaurus and Ixobrychus, having mottled brownish plumage and a deep booming cry in the male. (noun)
• The bitter water solution of bromides, magnesium, and calcium salts remaining after sodium chloride is crystallized out of seawater. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "The bittern is a secretive bird and its subtle colouring makes it hard to spot in its wetland surroundings – although its mating call, which can be heard several miles away, testifies to its presence."
• "Of the bittern, which is said to boom continually over the Friesland meres,"
• "In bird terms, the bittern is the conservation success of the decade."