albatross

American  

[al-buh-traws, -tros] / ˈæl bəˌtrɔs, -ˌtrɒs /

noun

albatrosses plural

1. any of several large, web-footed sea birds of the family Diomedeidae that have the ability to remain aloft for long periods.

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

3. something burdensome that impedes action or progress.

4. Textiles.

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

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

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albatross British  

/ 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

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

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• albatrosses
  plural

Etymology

Origin of albatross

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)

Explanation

It's a bird! It's a plane! It's an albatross — in which case it's somewhere between the first two. An albatross is one of the largest flying birds in the world. The word albatross comes from the Spanish and Portuguese word alcatraz meaning "pelican," but it's not just animals that this word describes. Think of the huge white prison on Alcatraz Island in San Francisco that hindered its inmates from going anywhere, reminding them daily of the guilt and burden of their crime — all feelings that are meant to be conjured by something that's an albatross in a person's life.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

albatross albatrosses

Tata Steel's purchase of Corus Steel, for instance, turned out be an "albatross" around the company's neck for decades, says Mukherjea.

From BBC ● May 24, 2026

The ship is blown by a storm to the South Pole where it is followed by an albatross, believed to bring good luck.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 16, 2026

But now that guarantee is an albatross, with AI skeptics worried OpenAI won’t be able to pay.

From Barron's ● Dec. 13, 2025

Partridge was once an "albatross" around Coogan's neck, but he returns to him nowadays because he "wants to", not because he has to.

From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2025

Cape pigeons often darted and flitted around the boat, but the men couldn’t bring themselves to kill the friendly birds, and ancient superstition forbade them from killing the albatross that still followed majestically above.

From "Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World" by Jennifer Armstrong

Elephant seals crowd its beaches, king penguins climb its green slopes, and albatrosses glide above the open landscape.

From Science Daily ● May 14, 2026

Boston-based travel blogger Jake Rosmarin posted on Instagram how the ship was almost immediately greeted by albatrosses, dolphins, sea lions and humpback whales.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 7, 2026

The tour boat takes bird watchers from Cape Town to see endangered seabirds, including albatrosses, that are hard to find on the mainland.

From BBC ● Dec. 30, 2025

While albatrosses usually mate for life, they will find new mates to breed with if their partner dies.

From New York Times ● Dec. 6, 2024

While white albatrosses escorted Endurance through the ice on their magnificent, motionless wings, Leonard Hussey, the meteorologist, serenaded the passing wildlife with his banjo.

From "Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World" by Jennifer Armstrong

Related Words

• millstone