The name albatross came from the Arabic word al-c Ã cents dous or al - Ä aÅ # Å # Ä s. This means a pelican , or can mean `` the diver '' . This word later became English , also mixed with the Portuguese word alcatraz , which means `` gannet '' . The name albatross is derived from the Arabic al-c Ã cents dous or al - Ä aÅ # Å # Ä s ( a pelican ; literally , `` the diver '' ) , which traveled to English via the Portuguese form alcatraz ( `` gannet '' ) , which is also the origin of the name of the former prison , Alcatraz .