Burden
Burden (bû"d'n) , noun
[Old English burden, burthen, birthen, birden, Anglo-Saxon byreen; akin to Icelandic byrei, Danish byrde, Swedish borda, German burde, Old High German burdi, Gothic baúrþei, from the root of English bear, Anglo-Saxon beran, Gothic bairan. r92. See 1st Bear.]
1.
That which is borne or carried; a load.
Plants with goodly burden bowing.
2.
That which is borne with labor or difficulty; that which is grievous, wearisome, or oppressive.
Deaf, giddy, helpless, left alone,
To all my friends a burden grown.
3.
The capacity of a vessel, or the weight of cargo that she will carry; as, a ship of a hundred tons burden.
4.
(Mining) The tops or heads of stream-work which lie over the stream of tin.
5.
(Metallurgy) The proportion of ore and flux to fuel, in the charge of a blast furnace. — Raymond
6.
A fixed quantity of certain commodities; as, a burden of gad steel, 120 pounds.
7.
A birth. [Obsolete & Rare] — Shakespeare
Collocations (2)
Beast of burden , an animal employed in carrying burdens.
Burden of proof (Law) , the duty of proving a particular position in a court of law, a failure in the performance of which duty calls for judgment against the party on whom the duty is imposed.
Burden ({not transcribed}) , transitive verb
1.
To encumber with weight (literal or figurative); to lay a heavy load upon; to load.
I mean not that other men be eased, and ye burdened.
2.
To oppress with anything grievous or trying; to overload; as, to burden a nation with taxes.
My burdened heart would break.
3.
To impose, as a load or burden; to lay or place as a burden (something heavy or objectionable). [Rare]
It is absurd to burden this act on Cromwell.
Burden (bûr"d'n) , noun
[Old English burdoun the bass in music, French bourdon; compare Late Latin burdo drone, a long organ pipe, a staff, a mule. Probably of imitative origin. Compare Bourdon.]
1.
The verse repeated in a song, or the return of the theme at the end of each stanza; the chorus; refrain. Hence: That which is often repeated or which is dwelt upon; the main topic; as, the burden of a prayer.
I would sing my song without a burden.
2.
The drone of a bagpipe. — Ruddiman
Burden , noun
[See Burdon.]
A club. [Obsolete] — Spenser