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   Al·ba·tross

   /ˈalbəˌtrôs/

   

   noun

   • 1. a very large oceanic bird related to the shearwaters, with long narrow wings. Albatrosses, some species of which have wingspans greater than 10 feet (3.3 m), are found mainly in the southern oceans, with three kinds in the North Pacific.
   • ▪ a source of frustration or guilt; an encumbrance (in allusion to Coleridge's The Rime of the Ancient Mariner): "an albatross of a marriage"
   • 2. another term for double eagle

   Word Origin late 17th century: alteration (influenced by Latin albus ‘white’) of 16th-century alcatras, applied to various seabirds including the frigate bird and pelican, from Spanish and Portuguese alcatraz, from Arabic al-ġaṭṭās ‘the diver’.

   Scrabble Points: 11

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   • L

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   • B

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   • A

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