albatross
UK/ˈæl.bəˌtɹɒs//ˈæl.bəˌtɹɔs/
albatross noun: 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.
Noun
albatross (plural albatross or albatrosses)
- 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.
- Any of various African and Asian pierid butterflies of the genus Appias. Some species of this genus are also known as puffins.
- A double eagle, or three under par on any one hole, except a par 3 hole.
- A long-term impediment, burden, or curse.
- […] energy is the albatross of U.S. national security.2006 March 13, Richard Lugar, speech to the Brookings Institution
- Project 2025 could be an albatross for Trump2024 August 9, Tia Yang, Nathaniel Rakich, Mary Radcliffe, Cooper Burton, “Americans don't like Project 2025”, in ABC News, archived from the original on 10 Aug 2024
- Synonyms:
- albatross around one's neck
albatross meaning in Hindi, Tamil, Urdu and Bengali
albatross in Hindi
- seabird
- महासामुद्र mahāsāmudra
albatross in Tamil
- அண்டரண்டப்பறவை, ஆல்பட்ராஸ்
albatross in Urdu
- ایک بڑا بحری پرندہ, قادُوس
albatross in Bengali
- আলবাট্রস পাখি
More languagesFewer languages
- albatross in Kannada
- ಕಡಲುಕೋಳಿ, ಆಲ್ಬಟ್ರಾಸ್
- albatross in Tagalog
- albatros
- albatross in Arabic
- قَطْرَس qaṭras
- albatross in Malay
- albatros
- albatross in Indonesian
- albatros
- albatross in Vietnamese
- hải âu mày đen
Synonyms of albatross
Forms of albatross
| plural | albatross |
|---|---|
| plural | albatrosses |
| alternative form | albie |
Origin of albatross
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. For sense development of "burden", see albatross around one’s neck.
Words formed from albatross
Phrases with albatross
Questions about albatross
- What does albatross mean?
- Albatross means 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.
- What is albatross in Hindi?
- Albatross in Hindi is महासामुद्र (mahāsāmudra). See Albatross meaning in Hindi.
- What part of speech is albatross?
- Albatross is a noun.
- How do you pronounce albatross?
- Albatross is pronounced /ˈæl.bəˌtɹɒs/ (UK).
- What is the plural of albatross?
- The plural of albatross is albatross.
Words near albatross in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: albatross (page history and authors); albatross (Tamil Wiktionary) (page history and authors); albatross (Urdu Wiktionary) (page history and authors); albatross (Bengali Wiktionary) (page history and authors); albatross (Kannada Wiktionary) (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: en-us-albatross.ogg.
Cite this entry: “albatross.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/albatross. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.