burthen

[bur-thuhn]

noun

Archaic.

1. an archaic variant of burden.

burthen

/ ˈbɜːðən /

noun

1. an archaic word for burden 1

Other Word Forms

• burthensome adjective

Example Sentences

That, as Thomas Jefferson explained to a visiting Englishman, they were “made to carry burthens.”

From Washington Times

The vapours weep their burthen to the ground,

From Washington Post

Lincoln also prioritized progressive taxation, insisting that “the burthen of revenue falls almost entirely on the wealthy and luxurious few, while the substantial and laboring many … go entirely free.”

From MSNBC

If a not inconsiderable number of the higher middle classes gained the special privileges of nobility, the burthens of the rest of the people were only increased thereby.

From Project Gutenberg

Tails were sent by Nature, not merely as an ornament, but to enable the animal to whisk away the flies, which in hot weather render its life a burthen.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• albatross 
• encumbrance