albatross

[ al-buh-traws, -tros ]
See synonyms for albatross on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. any of several large, web-footed sea birds of the family Diomedeidae that have the ability to remain aloft for long periods.: Compare wandering albatross.

  2. a seemingly inescapable moral or emotional burden, as of guilt or responsibility.

  1. something burdensome that impedes action or progress.

  2. Textiles.

    • a lightweight worsted fabric with a crepe or pebble finish.

    • a plain-weave cotton fabric with a soft nap surface.

Origin of albatross

1
1675–85; variant of algatross frigate bird <Portuguese alcatraz pelican, probably <Arabic al-ghaṭṭāṣ a kind of sea eagle, literally, the diver; -b- for -g- perhaps by association with Latin albus white (the bird's color)

Words Nearby albatross

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How to use albatross in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for albatross

albatross

/ (ˈælbəˌtrɒs) /


noun
  1. any large oceanic bird of the genera Diomedea and Phoebetria, family Diomedeidae, of cool southern oceans: order Procellariiformes (petrels). They have long narrow wings and are noted for a powerful gliding flight: See also wandering albatross

  2. a constant and inescapable burden or handicap: an albatross of debt

  1. golf a score of three strokes under par for a hole

Origin of albatross

1
C17: from Portuguese alcatraz pelican, from Arabic al-ghattās, from al the + ghattās white-tailed sea eagle; influenced by Latin albus white: C20 in sense 2, from The Rime of the Ancient Mariner (1798) by Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012