albatross

See also: Albatross

English

Etymology 1

Uncertain. Probably from Spanish or Portuguese alcatraz (“pelican, gannet, albatross”), probably derived from Arabic الْغَطَّاس (al-ḡaṭṭās, “the diver”) (compare Alcatraz); or from Portuguese alcatruz (“water wheel bucket”), from Arabic الْقَادُوس (al-qādūs), from Ancient Greek κάδος (kádos, “pail, jar”), in reference to the pouch of a pelican. In either case, altered under the influence of Latin albus (“white”). Not derived from modern Arabic قَطْرَس (qaṭras, “albatross”), which is perhaps borrowed from Spanish.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈæl.bəˌtɹɒs/
• IPA^(key): /ˈæl.bəˌtɹɔs/
• IPA^(key): /ˈæl.bəˌtɹɑs/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

An albatross (bird).

Noun

albatross (plural albatross or albatrosses)

1. Any of various large seabirds of the family Diomedeidae ranging widely in the Southern Ocean and the North Pacific and having a hooked beak and long narrow wings.
2. Any of various African and Asian pierid butterflies of the genus . Some species of this genus are also known as puffins.
3. (golf) A double eagle, or three under par on any one hole, except a par 3 hole.

Synonyms

• gooney bird
• gooney
• goonie

Coordinate terms

(golf):

• buzzard
• bogey
• par
• birdie
• eagle
• condor
• ostrich

Translations

seabird

• Arabic: قَطْرَس (ar) m (qaṭras)
• Armenian: ալբատրոս (hy) (albatros)
• Bulgarian: албатрос (bg) (albatros)
• Catalan: albatros (ca) m
• Cebuano: albatros
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 信天翁 (zh) (xìntiānwēng)

• Chukchi: ӄаӄытъэӄ (qaqytʺėq), ӄаӄытъэӄыт pl (qaqytʺėqyt)
• Crimean Tatar: furtuna quşu
• Czech: albatros (cs) m
• Danish: albatros c
• Dutch: albatros (nl) m
• Esperanto: albatroso
• Estonian: albatross (et)
• Faroese: súlukongur m
• Finnish: albatrossi (fi)
• French: albatros (fr) m
• Galician: albatros m
• German: Albatros (de) m
• Greek: άλμπατρος (el) n (álmpatros)
• Hindi: महासामुद्र (mahāsāmudra)
• Hungarian: albatrosz (hu)
• Icelandic: súlukóngur m, stormfugl (is) m
• Indonesian: albatros (id)
• Irish: albatras m
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Italian: albatro (it) m, albatros (it) m
• Japanese: 信天翁 (ja) (あほうどり, ahōdori), アホウドリ (ja) (ahōdori)
• Korean: 신천옹(信天翁) (ko) (sincheonong), 알바트로스 (albateuroseu)
• Latin: diomedea f
• Malay: albatros
• Maltese: albatros m, albatrosa f
• Maori: toroa
• Navajo: tónteel tsídiitsoh
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: albatross (no) m

  Nynorsk: albatross (no) m

• Polish: albatros (pl) m
• Portuguese: albatroz (pt)
• Romanian: albatros (ro) m
• Russian: альбатро́с (ru) m (alʹbatrós)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: албатрос m, бурница f

  Roman: albatros (sh) m, burnica (sh) f

• Slovene: albatros (sl) m
• Spanish: albatros (es) m
• Swedish: albatross (sv) c
• Tagalog: albatros
• Turkish: albatros (tr)
• Yup'ik: yaarcaq

three under par

• Catalan: albatros (ca) m
• Danish: albatros c
• Dutch: albatros (nl) m
• Finnish: albatrossi (fi)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• German: Albatros (de) m
• Greek: άλμπατρος (el) n (álmpatros)
• Japanese: アルバトロス (ja) (arubatorosu)
• Swedish: albatross (sv) c

Derived terms

• albatross round one's neck
• Atlantic yellow-nosed albatross
• black-browed albatross
• great albatross
• Laysan albatross
• wandering albatross

 

Etymology 2

See albatross around one’s neck.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈæl.bəˌtɹɒs/
• IPA^(key): /ˈæl.bəˌtɹɔs/
• IPA^(key): /ˈæl.bəˌtɹɑs/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Noun

albatross (plural albatrosses)

1. (figurative) A long-term impediment, burden, or curse.
   • 2006 March 13, Richard Lugar, speech to the Brookings Institution,

     […] energy is the albatross of U.S. national security.

Synonyms

• albatross around one's neck

Translations

long-term impediment

• Bulgarian: затруднение (bg) (zatrudnenie)
• Finnish: heikkous (fi), rasite (fi)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Irish: bró mhuilinn f

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Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Noun

albatross m (definite singular albatrossen, indefinite plural albatrosser, definite plural albatrossene)

1. albatross

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Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Noun

albatross m (definite singular albatrossen, indefinite plural albatrossar, definite plural albatrossane)

1. albatross

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Swedish

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈalbatrɔs/, /ˈalbatˌrɔs/, /ˌalbatˈrɔs/

Noun

albatross c (definite plural albatrossen, indefinite plural albatrosser, definite plural albatrosserna)

1. albatross
2. (golf) an albatross or double eagle (a score of three strokes under par for a hole)