We give examples , notes on usage , and sometimes we use them in short conversations . Many English expressions come from the world of animals . And , today we talk about a seabird called an albatross . An albatross is a large web-footed seabird . In fact , this family of seabirds includes some of the largest . They have long thin wings and are excellent gliders . To glide means to move smoothly , silently , and effortlessly . Considering that an albatross can fly seemingly without effort , it is a bit surprising how we use the word in conversations . An albatross describes something – a burden – that weighs heavily on us and prevents us from accomplishing something . It can be a problem that does not go away . This problem makes it difficult or impossible to do or achieve something . An albatross can also be something that gets in our way – a roadblock that keeps us from getting what we want . It hinders us . Or if you prefer the noun – it is a hinderance to our success or to our ability to be happy . Some describe an albatross as a mental burden . For example : Her never-ending search for fame and fortune became an albatross to a normal , happy life . Here is another example : His albatross was his huge credit card debt . It weighed heavily on every decision he made . So , how did the name of this large , graceful bird come to have this meaning ? On Merriam-Webster's online dictionary , experts explain that this usage of the word comes from European sea mythology . Albatrosses are known for following ships at sea . They can glide for long periods of time without flapping their wings . So , some sailors had superstitious beliefs about the birds . A superstition is a belief that certain things or events will bring good or bad luck . In Samuel Taylor Coleridge's 1798 poem The Rime of the Ancient Mariner , a sailor kills an albatross that had been following his ship . To this day , the albatross remains a symbol for something that causes extreme guilt or something that is a great burden .