bittern: Meaning and Definition of

bit•tern

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

bit•tern

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.