burden
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burden¹
- /ˈbɜːdn̩/ Australia, UK
- /ˈbɝdn̩/ US
- /bʌɾdn̩/ Scotland
- /bøːdn̩/ New Zealand
- /beːdn̩/
- /bɛːdn̩/
Rhymes with -ɜː(ɹ)dən
Where it comes from
Inherited from Middle English birthene, birthen, birden, from Old English byrden, byrþen, from Proto-West Germanic *burþini, from *burþī, from Proto-Germanic *burþį̄, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰer- (“to carry, bear”).
noun burdens · burthen
- A heavy load. I know that this was Life,—the track Whereon with equal feet we fared; And then, as now, the day prepared The daily burden for the back.
- A responsibility, onus.
- 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.
- The capacity of a vessel, or the weight of cargo that she will carry. a ship of a hundred tons burden
- The tops or heads of stream-work which lie over the stream of tin.
- The proportion of ore and flux to fuel, in the charge of a blast furnace.
- A fixed quantity of certain commodities. A burden of gad steel is 120 pounds.
- A birth. … that bore thee at a burden two fair sons.
- The total amount of toxins, parasites, cancer cells, plaque or similar present in an organism.
- The distance between rows of blastholes parallel to the major free face (i.e. face of the excavation)
verb burdens · burdening · burdened · burthen
- To encumber with a burden. to burden a nation with taxes
- To impose, as a load or burden; to lay or place as a burden (something heavy or objectionable). He was beginning to forget his burdening, despairing mood of a short while ago.
burden²
Where it comes from
Inherited from Middle English burdoun (“accompaniment”), from Old French bordon (“drone”), from Medieval Latin burdō. Doublet of bourdon.
noun burdens
- A phrase or theme that recurs at the end of each verse in a folk song or ballad. Foot it featly here and there; / And, sweet sprites, the burden bear.
- The drone of a bagpipe. BURDEN in some musical instruments, the Drone or Bass, and the pipe or string that plays it
- A theme, a core idea. the burden of the argument
Burden³
proper noun Burdens
- A surname.
- A minor city in Cowley County, Kansas, United States.
- A village in Erpeldange commune, Luxembourg (French spelling).
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: load, incumbrance, encumbrance, weight down, onus, loading, effect, essence, gist, charge, saddle, burthen, weight, core, loaded, laden
Translations
Every language
noun heavy load
| 한국어 | 짐 jim, 바리 bari |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 積み荷 tsumini |
| 中文 | 負荷 /负荷 fùhè |
| Kiswahili | mzigo |
| Português | carga, fardo |
| Français | charge, fardeau |
| Deutsch | Belastung, Last, Bürde |
| Italiano | carico, fardello |
| Română | sarcină, povară |
| Русский | но́ша nóša, груз gruz, покла́жа pokláža, кладь kladʹ, бре́мя brémja |
| العربية | حِمْل ḥiml, عِبْء ʕibʔ |
| עברית | נֵטֶל nétel, עֹל |
noun responsibility, onus
| Español | carga, lastre, rémora, pejiguera |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 짐 jim, 부담 budam |
| 日本語 | 負担 futan |
| 中文 | 負擔 /负担 fùdān |
| Português | responsabilidade, obrigação |
| Français | fardeau |
| Deutsch | Belastung, Last, Bürde, Verantwortung |
| Italiano | responsabilità, onere |
| Română | sarcină, răspundere |
| Русский | бре́мя brémja, тя́жесть tjážestʹ, нагру́зка nagrúzka |
| Tiếng Việt | gánh nặng |
| العربية | حِمْل ḥiml, عِبْء ʕibʔ |
| עברית | נֵטֶל nétel, עֹל |
noun cause of worry
| 한국어 | 짐 jim |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 心配事 shimpaigoto |
| Português | preocupação |
| Français | fardeau |
| Deutsch | Sorge, Bürde, Kummer, Last |
| Italiano | preoccupazione, fardello |
| Русский | бре́мя brémja, обу́за obúza |
verb encumber
| Español | gravar, endilgar, endiñar, enjaretar, uncir, uñir |
|---|---|
| Português | carregar |
| Français | incomber |
| Deutsch | belasten, beladen, beschweren, aufbürden |
| Italiano | gravare, appioppare, rifilare, oberare |
| Română | însărcina, împovăra, îngreuna |
| Русский | обременя́ть obremenjátʹ, обремени́ть obremenítʹ, отягоща́ть otjagoščátʹ, отяготи́ть otjagotítʹ |
Talk about this word "burden." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/burden. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. burden. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/burden "burden." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/burden.Cite this
@misc{burden_2026,
title = {burden},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/burden},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
