noun pl. albatrosses -·tross′·es or albatross -·tross′

1. any of a family (Diomedeidae) of large, web-footed tubenose birds found chiefly in the South Seas: they have long, narrow wings and a long, hooked beak

2. Etymology: from the bird used as a symbol of guilt in a poem by Samuel Taylor Coleridge

   a burden or source of distress, esp. one that impairs effective action: often in the phrase an albatross around one's neck

Etymology: altered, prob. infl. by albus, white < Sp alcatraz, lit., pelican < Port, pelican, orig., bucket < Ar al qādūs, water-wheel basket, scoop < Gr kados, cask, jar; prob. < Heb kad, water jug