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| Date: | 1600-1700 |
| Origin: | Probably from alcatras type of water bird (16-19 centuries), from Portuguese or Spanish alcatraz 'pelican', from Arabic al-gattas 'the diver'; |
| Origin: | from the dead albatross that brought bad luck to the sailor who killed it in the poem The Ancient Mariner (1798) by S. T. Coleridge |
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al‧ba‧tross
[countable]
[countable]1 a very large white sea bird
2 something that causes problems for you and prevents you from succeeding : The issue has become a political albatross for the government.
an albatross (around your neck)
The issue has become a political albatross for the government.