Meaning

noun (figurative) something that hinders or handicaps

noun large web-footed birds of the southern hemisphere having long narrow wings; noted for powerful gliding flight

originUncertain. Probably from Spanish or Portuguese alcatraz (“pelican, gannet, albatross”), probably derived from Arabic الْغَطَّاس (al-ḡaṭṭās, “the diver”) (compare Alcatraz); or from Portuguese alcatruz (“water wheel bucket”), from Arabic الْقَادُوس (al-qādūs), from Ancient Greek κάδος (kádos, “pail, jar”), in reference to the pouch of a pelican. In either case, altered under the influence of Latin…

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0