# bittern

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈbɪtən/ · frequency rank #85,040

## Definitions
1. Several bird species in the Botaurinae subfamily of the heron family Ardeidae.

## Etymology
From Middle English bitour, botor, from Old French butor, from Gallo-Roman *butitaurus, a blend of Latin būtiō (“bittern”) and taurus (“bull, ox”).

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/bittern