burden

burden

See also: Burden and Bürden

English

Etymology 1

From Middle English burden, birden, burthen, birthen, byrthen, from Old English byrden, byrþen, from Proto-West Germanic *burþini, from *burþī, from Proto-Germanic *burþį̄, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰer- (“to carry, bear”).

Alternative forms

• burthen (archaic)

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈbɜːdn̩/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈbɝdn̩/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɜː(ɹ)dən

Noun

burden (plural burdens)

1. A heavy load.
   • 1898, J. Meade Falkner, Moonfleet, London; Toronto, Ont.: Jonathan Cape, published 1934:

     There were four or five men in the vault already, and I could hear more coming down the passage, and guessed from their heavy footsteps that they were carrying burdens.

2. A responsibility, onus.
3. A cause of worry; that which is grievous, wearisome, or oppressive.
   • c. 1710-1730, Jonathan Swift, The Dean's Complaint Translated and Answered

     Deaf, giddy, helpless, left alone, / To all my friends a burden grown.

4. The capacity of a vessel, or the weight of cargo that she will carry.

   a ship of a hundred tons burden

   • 1945 May and June, Charles E. Lee, “The Penrhyn Railway and its Locomotives—1”, in Railway Magazine, page 142, text published 1848:

     " […] The quay is upwards of 1,000 feet in length, and capable of accommodating more than 100 sail of traders; and there are generally a considerable number of vessels of from 40 to 300 tons burden, from various parts of the world, waiting to receive their cargoes."

5. (mining) The tops or heads of stream-work which lie over the stream of tin.
6. (metalworking) The proportion of ore and flux to fuel, in the charge of a blast furnace[1].
7. A fixed quantity of certain commodities.

   A burden of gad steel is 120 pounds.

8. (obsolete, rare) A birth.

   […] that bore thee at a burden two fair sons.

9. (medicine) The total amount of toxins, parasites, cancer cells, plaque or similar present in an organism.

Translations

heavy load

Arabic: حِمْل‎ (ar) m (ḥiml), عِبْء‎ m (ʕibʔ) Egyptian Arabic: حمل‎ m (ḥiml) Armenian: բեռ (hy) (beṙ) Aromanian: sartsinã f, greatsã f, griutati f, furtii f, var Assamese: বোজা (büza) Belarusian: цяжа́р m (cjažár), бярэ́мя n (bjarémja), но́ша f (nóša), груз m (hruz) Bulgarian: това́р (bg) m (továr) Catalan: càrrega (ca) f, carga (ca) Chinese: Mandarin: 負荷／负荷 (zh) (fùhè) Czech: břemeno (cs) n, zatížení n, náklad (cs) m, zátěž f Danish: byrde c, læs n Dutch: last (nl) m Faroese: byrði f, byrða f, burður m Finnish: kuorma (fi), taakka (fi) French: charge (fr) f, fardeau (fr) m Galician: carga f German: Belastung (de) f, Last (de) f, Bürde (de) f Alemannic German: Burdi f Gothic: 𐌱𐌰𐌿𐍂𐌸𐌴𐌹 f (baurþei) Greek: Ancient: ἄχθος n (ákhthos), φόρημα n (phórēma), βάρημα n (bárēma) Hebrew: נֵטֶל‎ (he) m (nétel), עֹל‎ (he) m ('ol) Hungarian: teher (hu) Icelandic: byrði (is) f, burður (is) m Irish: muirear m Italian: carico (it) m, fardello (it) Japanese: 積み荷 (つみに, tsumini) Korean: 짐 (ko) (jim), 바리 (ko) (bari) Kurdish: Central Kurdish: بار گرانی‎ (bar granî) Northern Kurdish: berpirsiyarî (ku) f, bar (ku) m Latin: onus n, sarcina f Macedonian: товар m (tovar) Malay: beban (ms) Maori: wahanga, wahanga Norwegian: Bokmål: byrde m, belastning m or f Nynorsk: byrde f, belastning f Old English: byrþen f Persian: بار‎ (fa) (bâr) Polish: ciężar (pl) m, brzemię (pl) n (formally) Portuguese: carga (pt), fardo (pt) m Romanian: sarcină (ro) f, povară (ro) f Russian: но́ша (ru) f (nóša), груз (ru) m (gruz) Sanskrit: भार (sa) m (bhāra) Serbo-Croatian: Cyrillic: бре̏ме n, брје̏ме n, то̀вар m Roman: brȅme (sh) n, brjȅme n, tòvar (sh) m Slovak: bremeno n, náklad m, záťaž f Slovene: tovor m Spanish: carga (es) Swahili: mzigo (sw) Swedish: börda (sv), belastning (sv) Tagalog: dinadalang mabigat Tajik: бор (tg) (bor) Tocharian B: perpette Turkish: yük (tr) Ukrainian: тяга́р m (tjahár), но́ша f (nóša), ванта́ж (uk) m (vantáž) Westrobothnian: tȳnj f, tōng f, bȯhl f, kylt f Zazaki: bar (diq) m, selag f

responsibility, onus

Arabic: حِمْل‎ (ar) m (ḥiml), عِبْء‎ m (ʕibʔ) Armenian: բեռ (hy) (beṙ) Aromanian: sartsinã f Belarusian: цяжа́р m (cjažár), бярэ́мя n (bjarémja) Bulgarian: бре́ме (bg) n (bréme), те́жест (bg) f (téžest) Chinese: Mandarin: 負擔／负担 (zh) (fùdān) Czech: břemeno (cs) n, břímě (cs) n Danish: belastning c, last (da) c, byrde c Faroese: burður m Finnish: vastuu (fi), riippa (fi) French: fardeau (fr) m Galician: carga f German: Belastung (de) f, Last (de) f, Bürde (de) f, Verantwortung (de) f Hebrew: נֵטֶל‎ (he) m (nétel), עֹל‎ (he) m ('ol) Hungarian: teher (hu) Icelandic: byrði (is) f Irish: muirear m Italian: responsabilità (it) f, onere (it) m Japanese: 負担 (ja) (ふたん, futan) Korean: 짐 (ko) (jim), 부담(負擔) (ko) (budam) Kurdish: Central Kurdish: بار‎ (ku) (bar) Northern Kurdish: berpirsiyarî (ku) f, bar (ku) m Latin: onus n Macedonian: бреме n (breme) Norwegian: ansvar (no) n Bokmål: byrde m Nynorsk: byrde f Old Church Slavonic: Cyrillic: брѣмѧ n (brěmę) Old East Slavic: беремѧ n (beremę) Polish: brzemię (pl) n Portuguese: responsabilidade (pt) f, obrigação (pt) Romanian: sarcină (ro) f, răspundere (ro) f Russian: бре́мя (ru) n (brémja), тя́жесть (ru) f (tjážestʹ), нагру́зка (ru) f (nagrúzka) Serbo-Croatian: Cyrillic: бре̏ме n, брје̏ме n Roman: brȅme (sh) n, brjȅme n Slovak: bremeno n Slovene: breme (sl) n Spanish: carga (es) f, responsabilidad (es) f Swedish: plikt (sv) Tagalog: pasanin Turkish: zahmet (tr), yükümlülük (tr), sorumluluk (tr) Ukrainian: тяга́р m (tjahár), вагота́ (uk) f (vahotá), ва́жкість (uk) f (vážkistʹ), тя́жкість f (tjážkistʹ) Vietnamese: gánh nặng Zazaki: zahmet, bar dayen

cause of worry

Armenian: բեռ (hy) (beṙ) Bulgarian: бреме (bg) n (breme) French: fardeau (fr) m Galician: carga f German: Sorge (de) f, Bürde (de) f, Kummer (de) m, Last (de) f Italian: preoccupazione (it) f, fardello (it) m Japanese: 心配事 (しんぱいごと, shimpaigoto) Korean: 짐 (ko) (jim) Kurdish: Central Kurdish: بەڵا‎ (ku) (bella) Northern Kurdish: bar (ku) m Norwegian: belastning m Polish: brzemię (pl) n, ciężar (pl) m Portuguese: preocupação (pt) f Russian: бре́мя (ru) n (brémja), обу́за (ru) f (obúza) Spanish: preocupación (es) f Swedish: börda (sv), belastning (sv) Tagalog: pasanin

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

Telugu: (please verify) భారం (te) (bhāraṁ)

Verb

burden (third-person singular simple present burdens, present participle burdening, simple past and past participle burdened)

1. (transitive) To encumber with a literal or figurative burden.

   to burden a nation with taxes

   • 1591 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Second Part of Henry the Sixt, […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies. […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, [Act III, scene ii]:

     My burdened heart would break.

   • 1593, anonymous, The Life and Death of Iacke Straw […], Act I:

     This ſtraunge vnwelcome and vnhappie newes, […]
     Burdens my heart, and interrupts my ſleepe, […]

   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], OCLC 964384981, 2 Corinthians 8:13, column 2:

     For I meane not that other men bee eaſed, and you burthened: […]

2. (transitive) To impose, as a load or burden; to lay or place as a burden (something heavy or objectionable).

Translations

encumber

Bulgarian: натоварвам (bg) (natovarvam), обременявам (bg) (obremenjavam) Dutch: bezwaren (nl), opgescheept zitten met Egyptian: (hnn) Finnish: kuormata (fi) Galician: cangar (gl), cargar (gl) German: belasten (de), beladen (de), beschweren (de), aufbürden (de) Gothic: 𐌺𐌰𐌿𐍂𐌾𐌰𐌽 (kaurjan) Greek: Ancient: καταβαρύνω (katabarúnō) Italian: gravare (it), appioppare (it), rifilare (it), oberare (it) Korean: (please verify) 짐을 지우다 (jimeul jiuda) Latin: gravō (la), dēgravō Maori: whakawaha Polish: obciążać (pl) impf, obarczać impf Portuguese: carregar (pt) Romanian: însărcina (ro), împovăra (ro), îngreuna (ro) Russian: обременя́ть (ru) impf (obremenjátʹ), обремени́ть (ru) pf (obremenítʹ), отягоща́ть (ru) impf (otjagoščátʹ), отяготи́ть (ru) pf (otjagotítʹ) Spanish: gravar (es) Swedish: belasta (sv)

to impose a load

Bulgarian: товаря (bg) (tovarja) Galician: cargar (gl) Latin: gravō (la) Maori: whakawaha

Derived terms

• after-burden
• beast of burden
• burden basket
• burden of persuasion
• burden of production
• burden of proof
• burdensome
• debt burden
• double burden
• white man's burden

 

Etymology 2

Inherited from Middle English burdoun (“accompaniment”), from Old French bordon (“drone”), from Medieval Latin burdō. Doublet of bourdon.

Noun

burden (plural burdens)

1. (music) A phrase or theme that recurs at the end of each verse in a folk song or ballad.
   • 1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tempest”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, [Act I, scene ii]:

     Foot it featly here and there; / And, sweet sprites, the burden bear.

   • 1846, Edgar Allan Poe, The Philosophy of Composition

     As commonly used, the refrain, or burden, not only is limited to lyric verse, but depends for its impression upon the force of monotone - both in sound and thought.

2. The drone of a bagpipe.
   • 1740, Sébastien de Brossard, ‎James Grassineau, A Musical Dictionary:

     BURDEN in some musical instruments, the Drone or Bass , and the pipe or string that plays it

3. Theme, core idea.

   the burden of the argument

References

1. 1881, Rossiter W. Raymond, A Glossary of Mining and Metallurgical Terms

Anagrams

• bunder, burned, unbred

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Middle English

Adjective

burden

1. Alternative form of borden

Etymology 2

From burde +‎ -en (plural ending).

Noun

burden

1. plural of burde

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West Frisian

Noun

burden

1. plural of burd