BITTERN
Bittern
Bitterns are a classification of birds in the heron family, Ardeidae, a family of wading birds. Species named bitterns tend to be the shorter-necked, often more secretive members of this family. They were called hæferblæte in Old English; the word "bittern" came to English from Old French butor, itself from Gallo-roman butitaurus, a portmanteau of Latin būtiō and taurus. Bitterns form a monophyletic subfamily in the heron family, the Botaurinae.The above text is a snippet from Wikipedia: Bittern
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bittern
Noun
- Several bird species in the heron family Ardeidae.
- One species tending to have a relatively short neck in comparison with the other members of the family.
Noun (etymology 2)
- The liquor remaining after halite (common salt) has been harvested from saline water (brine).
- A very bitter compound of quassia, cocculus indicus, etc., used by fraudulent brewers in adulterating beer.
The above text is a snippet from Wiktionary: bittern
and as such is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.