bittern

== English == === Pronunciation === (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈbɪtən/ Homophones: bitten, Bitterne (US) IPA(key): /ˈbɪtəɹn/ Hyphenation: bit‧tern Rhymes: -ɪtə(ɹ)n === Etymology 1 === From Middle English bitour, botor, from Old French butor, from Gallo-Roman *butitaurus, a blend of Latin būtiō (“bittern”) and taurus (“bull, ox”). ==== Noun ==== bittern (plural bitterns) Several bird species in the Botaurinae subfamily of the heron family Ardeidae. ===== Derived terms ===== ===== Translations ===== ==== See also ==== Appendix: Animals Appendix:English collective nouns ==== References ==== bittern on Wikipedia.Wikipedia Botaurinae on Wikispecies.Wikispecies Category:Botaurinae on Wikimedia Commons.Wikimedia Commons === Etymology 2 === From bitter with an unclear suffix, perhaps a dialect form of -ing. ==== Noun ==== bittern (countable and uncountable, plural bitterns) The liquor remaining after halite (common salt) has been harvested from saline water (brine). The saline substance added to soy milk to coagulate it as a primary step in the production of tofu. (archaic) A very bitter compound of quassia, cocculus indicus, etc., used by fraudulent brewers in adulterating beer. ===== Translations ===== === Anagrams === Bittner, Britten