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definitions

burden

1
[bur-dn]
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noun
  1. that which is carried; load: a horse's burden of rider and pack.
  2. that which is borne with difficulty; obligation; onus: the burden of leadership.
  3. Nautical.
    1. the weight of a ship's cargo.
    2. the carrying capacity of a ship.
  4. Mining. overburden(def 3).
  5. Metallurgy. the minerals charged into a blast furnace or steelmaking furnace.
  6. Accounting. overhead(def 6).
verb (used with object)
  1. to load heavily.
  2. to load oppressively; trouble.

Origin of burden

1
before 1000; Middle English, variant of burthen, Old English byrthen; akin to German Bürde, Gothic baurthei; see bear1
Related formsbur·den·er, nounbur·den·less, adjective

Synonyms for burden

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2. weight, encumbrance, impediment. 8. weigh down, saddle, try, afflict, perturb, plague, grieve, vex.

Synonym study

1. See load.

burden

2
[bur-dn]
noun
  1. the main point, message, or idea.
  2. Music. the refrain or recurring chorus of a song.

Origin of burden

2
1275–1325; Middle English bordoun, burdoun < Old French bourdon droning sound, instrument making such a sound

Synonyms for burden

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1. substance, core, crux, nucleus, essence.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for burden

load, duty, onus, hardship, strain, tax, difficulty, task, responsibility, trouble, anxiety, worry, concern, hinder, depress, afflict, overwhelm, bother, overload, oppress

Examples from the Web for burden

Contemporary Examples of burden

Historical Examples of burden

British Dictionary definitions for burden

burden

1
noun
  1. something that is carried; load
  2. something that is exacting, oppressive, or difficult to bearthe burden of responsibility Related adjective: onerous
  3. nautical
    1. the cargo capacity of a ship
    2. the weight of a ship's cargo
verb (tr)
  1. (sometimes foll by up) to put or impose a burden on; load
  2. to weigh down; oppressthe old woman was burdened with cares

Word Origin for burden

Old English byrthen; related to beran to bear 1, Old Frisian berthene burden, Old High German burdin

burden

2
noun
  1. a line of words recurring at the end of each verse of a ballad or similar song; chorus or refrain
  2. the principal or recurrent theme of a speech, book, etc
  3. another word for bourdon

Word Origin for burden

C16: from Old French bourdon bass horn, droning sound, of imitative origin
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for burden
n.1

"a load," Old English byrðen "a load, weight, charge, duty;" also "a child;" from Proto-Germanic *burthinjo- "that which is borne" (cf. Old Norse byrðr, Old Saxon burthinnia, German bürde, Gothic baurþei), from PIE root *bher- (1) "to bear, to carry; give birth" (see infer).

The shift from -th- to -d- took place beginning 12c. (cf. murder). Archaic burthen is occasionally retained for the specific sense of "capacity of a ship." Burden of proof is recorded from 1590s.

n.2

"leading idea," 1640s, a figurative use from earlier sense "refrain or chorus of a song," 1590s, originally "bass accompaniment to music" (late 14c.), from Old French bordon "bumble-bee, drone," or directly from Medieval Latin burdonom "drone, drone bass" (source of French bourdon, Spanish bordon, Portuguese bordão, Italian bordone), of echoic origin.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper