bittern

Estimated CEFR level: C2 — Proficiency

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

noun relatively small compact tawny-brown heron with nocturnal habits and a booming cry; found in marshes

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

Well, rest thee; for the bittern's cry Sings us the lake's wild lullaby.' — The Lady of the Lake, Walter Scott
I gave him a bittern's claw to bring him good luck at shooting. — Puck of Pook's Hill, Rudyard Kipling
I will also make it a possession for the bittern, and pools of water. — Pilgrimage from the Alps to the Tiber : $b or, The influence of Romanism on trade, justice, and knowledge, J. A. (James Aitken) Wylie

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