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albatross (AL-buh-tros) noun, plural albatross or albatrosses
1. Any of several large, web-footed birds constituting the family Diomedeidae, chiefly of the oceans of the Southern Hemisphere, and having a hooked beak and long, narrow wings. 2. A constant, worrisome burden. An obstacle to success. [Probably alteration (influenced by Latin albus, white), of alcatras, pelican, from Portuguese, or Spanish alcatraz, from Arabic al-gattas : al, the + gattas, white-tailed sea eagle. Sense 2, after the albatross in The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, which the mariner killed and had to wear around his neck as a penance.] "Getting the albatross that is Temelin off its neck would make the utility more attractive to future investors." Tony Wesolowsky, Fueling up fast, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, Sep/Oct 2000. Water, water, every where, Nor any drop to drink. Ever wondered where these well-known lines came from? They are from a work that is the origin of the figurative use of today's word: The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, a poem by English poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge, first published in 1798. In this vivid poem, a mariner and his crew are traveling in a ship near the South Pole. For no reason, the mariner kills an albatross flying above his vessel. 'God save thee, ancient Mariner! From the fiends, that plague thee thus!-- Why look'st thou so?'--'With my cross-bow I shot the Albatross.' His shooting down of the innocent bird brings a curse to the ship, and his shipmates throw the carcass of the dead bird around his neck, thus giving a powerful idiom to the English language. Ah! well a-day! what evil looks Had I from old and young! Instead of the cross, the Albatross About my neck was hung. Much happens in the rest of the poem and the whole crew, except the mariner, dies. As a penance, the wizened mariner wanders, recounting his tale and wisdom. He prayeth best, who loveth best All things both great and small; For the dear God who loveth us, He made and loveth all. Read the complete text of this evocative poem with accompanying images at: http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/stc/Coleridge/poems/Rime_Ancient_Mariner.html During the rest of this week, we will see more animal words that are used figuratively. -Anu ............................................................................ The value of marriage is not that adults produce children, but that children produce adults. -Peter De Vries, editor, novelist (1910-1993) [The Tunnel of Love, 1954] Q: Some time ago you featured a quote/word about x in AWAD. Could you resend it? A: You may search the archives at http://wordsmith.org/awad/search.html or browse them at http://wordsmith.org/awad/archives.html All the words and quotes since the beginning of AWAD are available there. Pronunciation: http://wordsmith.org/words/albatross.wav http://wordsmith.org/words/albatross.ram
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