burdened

[ bur-dnd ]

/ ˈbɜr dnd /

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adjective Navigation.

(of a vessel) required to yield to a vessel having the right of way.Compare privileged(def 5).

RELATED WORDS

loaded, taxed, laden

Nearby words

Origin of burdened

burden¹ + -ed²

burden

[ bur-dn ]

/ ˈbɜr dn /

noun

that which is carried; load: a horse's burden of rider and pack.

that which is borne with difficulty; obligation; onus: the burden of leadership.

Nautical.

the weight of a ship's cargo.
the carrying capacity of a ship.

Mining. overburden(def 3).

Metallurgy. the minerals charged into a blast furnace or steelmaking furnace.

Accounting. overhead(def 6).

verb (used with object)

to load heavily.

to load oppressively; trouble.

Origin of burden

before 1000; Middle English, variant of burthen, Old English byrthen; akin to German Bürde, Gothic baurthei; see bear¹

SYNONYMS FOR burden

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

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR burden ON THESAURUS.COM

Related formsbur·den·er, nounbur·den·less, adjective

Synonym study

1. See load.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for burdened

Huckabee is also not burdened by, or beholden to, foreign investors.
Can Huckabee Convert the GOP’s Moneymen?|Lloyd Green|January 4, 2015|DAILY BEAST
He was wonderful, with Laura Linney, as a burdened brother and sister looking after an ailing parent in The Savages (2007).
Philip Seymour Hoffman: An Actor First|Tim Teeman|February 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Conservatives, on the other hand, burdened with no such principles, can let it rip.
Snowden and the Right|Michael Tomasky|June 10, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Further, I never wanted to have a child who could possibly be burdened with what I grew up in.
Why I Choose to Be Child-Free: Readers Share Their Stories|Harry Siegel|February 27, 2013|DAILY BEAST

Cystic Fibrosis, a genetic malady, dooms its sufferers to a short and burdened life.
NHS Turns Down Free Lifesaving Drug|Megan McArdle|October 31, 2012|DAILY BEAST
The war, instead of paying for itself, had burdened her with an additional debt of fifty thousand pounds.
Historic Handbook of the Northern Tour|Francis Parkman
A wandering wind came sighing past my ears one night upon the Links at Herion, burdened with this story it had to tell.
The Dop Doctor|Clotilde Inez Mary Graves
A simple prayer breathed by a burdened heart in secret awaked a more immediate and intimate response in him.
Evelyn Innes|George Moore
Somehow, that tired young face, burdened with some secret care, appealed to Audrey's quick sympathies.
Lover or Friend|Rosa Nouchette Carey
I never in my life desired to be burdened with public influence.
Our Old Home|Nathaniel Hawthorne

British Dictionary definitions for burdened

burden

/ (ˈbɜːdən) /

noun

something that is carried; load

something that is exacting, oppressive, or difficult to bearthe burden of responsibility Related adjective: onerous

nautical

the cargo capacity of a ship
the weight of a ship's cargo

verb (tr)

(sometimes foll by up) to put or impose a burden on; load

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

/ (ˈbɜːdən) /

noun

a line of words recurring at the end of each verse of a ballad or similar song; chorus or refrain

the principal or recurrent theme of a speech, book, etc

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 burdened

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.

burden

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.

burdened

adjective Navigation.

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RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of burdened

burden

noun

verb (used with object)

Origin of burden

Synonym study

Examples from the Web for burdened

burden

noun

verb (tr)

Word Origin for burden

burden

noun

Word Origin for burden

burden

burden