albatross – English noun declension

English noun forms of albatross

Noun: albatross
Singularalbatross
Pluralalbatross; albatrosses

Sample Sentences

  • 2006 March 13, Richard Lugar, speech to the Brookings Institution,
  • […] energy is the albatross of U.S. national security.
  • Project 2025 could be an albatross for Trump [2024 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:]

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.
2. For sense development of "burden", see albatross around one’s neck. See: Portuguese Nouns 'alcatraz', Ancient Greek Nouns 'κάδος', Latin Nouns 'albus'.

Verbs referencing "albatross"

Catalan Nouns albatros, Czech Nouns albatros, Dutch Nouns albatros, French Nouns albatros, Spanish Nouns albatros, Norwegian Bokmål Nouns albatross, Finnish Nouns albatrossi, Irish Nouns albatras, Hungarian Nouns albatrosz, Portuguese Nouns albatroz.