albatross

[ al-buh-traws, -tros ]

/ ˈæl bəˌtrɔs, -ˌtrɒs /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR albatross ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

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.

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

something burdensome that impedes action or progress.

Textiles.

a lightweight worsted fabric with a crepe or pebble finish.
a plain-weave cotton fabric with a soft nap surface.

Nearby words

albany congress, albarello, albarium, albata, albategnius, albatross, albatross around one's neck, albay, albedo, albedometer, albee

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)

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for albatross

Note to Sting: An “albatross” in this context is more like “tens of thousands of dollars of student loan debt.”
Sting and Hillary Are Just Like You: How the Very Rich Play at Being Very Ordinary|Tim Teeman|June 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The deal reached to end the shutdown did nothing to address the albatross of unpredictability.
The GOP’s Uncertainty Strategy Is Killing the Recovery|Kirsten Powers|October 18, 2013|DAILY BEAST
It was tough when I was younger; it was like an albatross on my back but I just found a way to navigate it.
Helen Mirren On ‘Hitchcock,’ Sexism, Queen Elizabeth II & More|Marlow Stern|November 20, 2012|DAILY BEAST
But the Ryan budget could become an albatross in the negotiations over the fiscal cliff.
Back in Congress, What Will Paul Ryan Do Next?|Eleanor Clift|November 16, 2012|DAILY BEAST

Age has become the albatross hanging on the neck of a generation of would-be mothers.
The Girls’ Guide to Getting Pregnant—Type-A Style|Melissa Lafsky|April 17, 2012|DAILY BEAST
“No, they are not,” said Jack; and he took them out of his pockets, and laid them down in a row before the albatross.
Mopsa the Fairy|Jean Ingelow
The Albatross is peculiar to the south as the gull to the north.
Overland through Asia; Pictures of Siberian, Chinese, and Tartar Life|Thomas Wallace Knox
Knowing that the Albatross would beat her to Sydney, the captain of the Albatross had undertaken to look up the dog.
Michael, Brother of Jerry|Jack London
The crew of the Albatross performed all these different acts of duty with silence and alacrity.
An Old Sailor's Yarns|Nathaniel Ames
I dreamed all that night of the man "that shot the albatross."
Pencillings by the Way|N. Parker Willis

British Dictionary definitions for albatross

albatross

/ (ˈælbəˌtrɒs) /

noun

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 flightSee also wandering albatross

a constant and inescapable burden or handicapan albatross of debt

golf a score of three strokes under par for a hole

Word Origin for albatross

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