al ‧ ba ‧ tross /ˈælbətrɒs $ -trɒːs, -trɑːs/ BrE AmE noun
[ 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' ; ]
[ Sense 2: 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 ]
1 . [countable] a very large white sea bird
2 . an albatross (around your neck) something that causes problems for you and prevents you from succeeding:
The issue has become a political albatross for the government.