albatross

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a very large oceanic bird with long, narrow wings adapted for gliding great distances

   The albatross followed the research vessel across the Southern Ocean.

2. 2
   noun

   a persistent burden, obstacle, or source of guilt that prevents progress

   The failed stadium project became a financial albatross for the city.

Simplified etymology

Albatross entered English in the late 17th century as an altered form, borrowed through Romance languages, of Arabic al-ġattās, formed from al “the” and ġattās, the name of a kind of sea eagle.

Probably altered from Spanish or Portuguese alcatraz, a pelican or large seabird, perhaps ultimately from Arabic al-ghattas, the diver; Latin albus, white, influenced the English form. The figurative burden comes from the dead bird worn as punishment in Coleridge's The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.

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External links

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• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary