albatross

Source

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. 1. A constant, worrisome burden.
   2. An obstacle to success.

[Probably alteration (influenced by Latin albus, white) of alcatras, pelican, from Portuguese or Spanish alcatraz, from Arabic al-ġaṭṭās : al-, the + ġaṭṭās, diver, sea eagle (from ġaṭasa, to plunge, dive). 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.]

(AL-buh-tros)

noun, plural albatross or albatrosses
1. Any of the Diomedeidae family of large, web-footed seabirds.
2. A persistent wearisome burden, as of guilt, for example.

Etymology
Apparently an alteration of Portuguese or Spanish alcatraz, from Arabic al-gattas (the diver, name for a kind of sea eagle)

The name of Alcatraz Island near San Francisco, the site of a former maximum security prison, has the same origin.
The metaphorical second sense of the term goes back to The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, a poem by Samuel Taylor Coleridge. In the poem, a mariner kills an albatross for no reason. His shooting down of the 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. As a penance, the wizened mariner wanders, recounting his tale.

For more information on albatross, visit Britannica.com.

Albatross, the Yankee-owned ship that brought news of the outbreak of the War of 1812 to William Price Hunt, partner of the Pacific Fur Company, at its Astoria post in the disputed Oregon Territory. Hunt chartered the ship and removed the furs from Astoria to avoid possible British capture, thus abandoning the first American fur post on the Columbia River.

Bibliography

Ronda, James P. Astoria and Empire. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1990.

—Carl L. Cannon/A. R.

A large, 25 lb, ocean flying bird with a very wide wingspan, 10 ft, which enables it to glide for long distances at a height of about 50 ft above the sea. There are several genera, the commonest being Diomedea and Phoebetria. The commonest species is the Wandering Albatross, Diomedea exulans.

ALBATROSS
Breed	Standardbred
Sire	MEADOW SKIPPER (USA)
Grandsire	DALE FROST (USA)
Dam	VOODOO HANOVER (USA)
Damsire	DANER HANOVER(USA)
Sex	Stallion
Foaled	08 May 1968
Country	United States
Colour	Bay
Breeder	C & J Kenney, M Lydon, J Wilcutts (USA)
Record	71 starts for 59 wins.
Earnings	$1,201,477
Major Wins, Awards and Honours
Honours
Best mile rate: 1:54.3
Infobox last updated on: 2009-04-27.

Albatross (1968 - 1998) was a bay horse by Meadow Skipper. He was voted Harness Horse of the Year in 1971 and 1972. Albatross won 59 of 71 starts, including the Cane Pace and Messenger Stakes in 1971, earned $1,201,477. It was, however, as a sire that he really made his mark. Albatross's 2,546 sons and daughters won $130,700,280. ^[1]

Contents 1 Racing career 2 Phenomenal stud career 3 See also 4 References

Racing career

Trained and driven by Harry Harvey from the time he was a yearling until a week before his three-year-old season and later Stanley Dancer, he won 25 of his 28 races as a three-year-old, including the Adios Stakes, the Cane Pace, and the Messenger Stakes. As a three-year-old he also set a record for fastest race mile with two races in 1:54.4 at The Red Mile in Lexington, Kentucky. He broke this record as a four-year-old with a race in 1:54.3 at Sportsman's Park in Chicago. ^{[2] [3]}

Albatross set the single-season harness horse earnings record of $558,009 in 1971.^[4]

Phenomenal stud career

After his four-year-old season he retired to stud at Hanover Shoe Farms in Hanover, Pennsylvania. On of his sons Niatross was the winner of the Triple Crown of Harness Racing for Pacers in 1980 and in that year was also a world champion with a mark of 1:49.1). Others were Fan Hanover, Merger, Colt Fortysix, and Jaguar Spur, all, like Niatross, winners of the Little Brown Jug. He was also an outstanding broodmare sire.

In 1998, Albatross died at the age of 30 at Hanover Shoe Farm in Pennsylvania of complications from heart failure and colic. He was buried at the Hanover Shoe Farms horse cemetery.

See also

For more information about harness racing and individual horses, see:

• Harness racing

References

1. ^ Albatross lifetime record as a sire.
2. ^ Stats Albatross
3. ^ Pedigree Albatross
4. ^ Looney, Douglas S. "Wiping Out A Clean Sweep", Sports Illustrated', November 8, 1976. Accessed February 19, 2009.

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Dansk (Danish)
n. - albatros

Nederlands (Dutch)
albatros, zware last

Français (French)
n. - albatros

Deutsch (German)
n. - Albatros

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - (ορνιθ.) διομήδεια, αλμπατρός

Italiano (Italian)
albatro

Português (Portuguese)
n. - albatroz (m) (Zool.)

Русский (Russian)
альбатрос

Español (Spanish)
n. - albatros

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - albatross

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
信天翁, 沉重负担

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 信天翁, 沈重負擔

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 신천옹, 기준타수보다 셋이 적은 타수

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - アホウドリ

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) ألقطرس, : طائر بحري كبير‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮אלבטרוס (עוף ים), מקור לתסכול או להרגשת אשמה‬

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