albatross

• n. [鸟] 信天翁；沉重负担

来自葡萄牙语alcatruz. 拼写受词根alb影响而俗化。

1. (figurative) something that hinders or handicaps;

"she was an albatross around his neck"

2. large web-footed birds of the southern hemisphere having long narrow wings; noted for powerful gliding flight

albatross

albatross: [17] The word albatross has a confused history. The least uncertain thing about it is that until the late 17th century it was alcatras; the change of the first element to albaseems to have arisen from association of the albatross’s white colour with Latin albus ‘white’. However, which particular bird the alcatras was, and where the word alcatras ultimately came from, are much more dubious.

The term was applied variously, over the 16th to the 19th centuries, to albatrosses, frigate birds, gannets, gulls, and pelicans. Its immediate source was Spanish and Portuguese alcatraz ‘pelican’ (hence Alcatraz, the prison-island in San Francisco Bay, USA, once the haunt of pelicans), which was clearly of Arabic origin, and it has been speculated that it comes from Arabic al qādūs ‘the bucket’, on the premise that the bucket of a water-wheel used for irrigation resembles a pelican’s beak.

Arabic qādūs itself comes from Greek kádos ‘jar’.

albatross (n.)

1670s, probably from Spanish or Portuguese alcatraz "pelican" (16c.), perhaps derived from Arabic al-ghattas "sea eagle" [Barnhart]; or from Portuguese alcatruz "the bucket of a water wheel" [OED], from Arabic al-qadus "machine for drawing water, jar" (from Greek kados "jar"), in reference to the pelican's pouch (compare Arabic saqqa "pelican," literally "water carrier"). Either way, the spelling was influenced by Latin albus "white." The name was extended, through some mistake, by English sailors to a larger sea-bird (order Tubinares).

Albatrosses were considered good luck by sailors; figurative sense of "burden" (1936) is from Coleridge's "Rime of the Ancient Mariner" (1798) about the bad luck of a sailor who shoots an albatross and then is forced to wear its corpse as an indication that he, not the whole ship, offended against the bird. The prison-island of Alcatraz in San Francisco Bay is named for pelicans that roosted there.

Privatization could become a political albatross for the ruling party.

私有化可能会成为该执政党一个难以摆脱的政治障碍。

柯林斯高阶英语词典

She was an albatross around his neck.

她成了他的沉重负担.

期刊摘选

The project is a financial alBatross from the start.

这项工程从一开始就是个财政方面的大包袱.

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The project is an economic albatross from the start.

这项工程从一开始就是财政方面的大包袱.

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That institution has always been an albatross on their necks.

那个机构一直是他们的一项重大负担.

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The albatross can stay airborne at sea for days at a time.

信天翁在海上可以一连在空中待几天.

《简明英汉词典》

The wandering albatross is the biggest of some two dozen different species.

阿房鸟是20几种不同种类中最大的一种.

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Double Eagle Albatross Albatross.

双鹰(比标准杆少三杆).

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Large sea birds, such as the wandering albatross, glide over the sea.

大的海鸟, 如漂泊信天翁, 在海洋上空滑翔.

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An albatross aloft can be a spectacular site.

高高在上的信天翁是一种壮观景象.

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The albatross is the king of gliders.

信天翁是滑翔鸟类之王.

《用法词典》

A tiger shark looking for dinner. In this instance , though , the young albatross succeeded in escaping.

一只虎鲨正在觅食. 而此刻小小的信天翁却逃脱了虎口.

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Any ship that crosses the Pacific is accompanied for many days by the smaller albatross.

任何太平洋通过的船只都有有较小的信天翁伴随着飞行好多天.

辞典例句

Why can't you leave low flying to the pelicans, albatross?

为什麽你就不能把低飞的玩意让给鹈鹕或信天翁去专美 呢 ?

期刊摘选

Our only companion is the wandering albatross, which glides effortlessly and gracefully behind the yacht.

陪伴我们的仅有那只盘旋的信天翁，它在游艇后面优雅轻盈地翱翔。

柯林斯例句

Privatization could become a political albatross for the ruling party.

私有化可能会成为该执政党一个难以摆脱的政治障碍。

柯林斯例句