albatross

Where does the word "albatross" come from? It comes from Arabic al-ghaṭṭās, passing through Portuguese before entering English (1670s).

Albatross’s story begins in Arabic: al-ghaṭṭās meant “the diver.” 'the diver', used for sea birds. By 1500s, the word had taken hold in Portuguese as alcatraz. A pelican or frigate bird; San Francisco's Alcatraz Island is named after the Spanish form. It reached English by 1670s as albatross. Altered by Latin 'albus', white; Coleridge's 'Ancient Mariner' of 1798 made the albatross a burden of guilt. Today, albatross means a very large oceanic bird; a burden.

1. Stage 1 · Arabic · medieval al-ghaṭṭās "the diver", 'the diver', used for sea birds.
2. Stage 2 · Portuguese · 1500s alcatraz "pelican", a pelican or frigate bird; San Francisco's Alcatraz Island is named after the Spanish form.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1670s albatross "large seabird", altered by Latin 'albus', white; Coleridge's 'Ancient Mariner' of 1798 made the albatross a burden of guilt.