The term albatross was adopted in the late 17th century from the Spanish albatros, which is a modification of alcatraz, meaning “pelican” (originally defined as “frigatebird”, but this evolved over time). Interestingly, this is the same name as the Californian prison island, which was named due to the large population of seabirds inhabiting the area. The exact origin of the word is unclear; some experts suggest that alcatraz comes from the Arabic term al-gattas, translating to “the diver” (al- being the Arabic definite article, and gattas having roots in a similar meaning from Proto-Semitic), while another theory proposes that alcatraz is derived from al-qadus, meaning “jar”, in reference to the shape of pelicans’ beaks. Adding to the complexity, the word may have been influenced by Latin albus (“white”) and/or Portuguese alcatruz (“water wheel bucket”). The etymology of the word is indeed intricate.
