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Burden   /bˈərdən/   Listen
noun
Burden  n.  (Written also burthen)  
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.
(Metal.) The proportion of ore and flux to fuel, in the charge of a blast furnace.
6.
A fixed quantity of certain commodities; as, a burden of gad steel, 120 pounds.
7.
A birth. (Obs. & R.)
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.
Synonyms: Burden, Load. A burden is, in the literal sense, a weight to be borne; a load is something laid upon us to be carried. Hence, when used figuratively, there is usually a difference between the two words. Our burdens may be of such a nature that we feel bound to bear them cheerfully or without complaint. They may arise from the nature of our situation; they may be allotments of Providence; they may be the consequences of our errors. What is upon us, as a load, we commonly carry with greater reluctance or sense of oppression. Men often find the charge of their own families to be a burden; but if to this be added a load of care for others, the pressure is usually serve and irksome.


Burden  n.  
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.


Burden  n.  A club. (Obs.)


verb
Burden  v. t.  (past & past part. burdened; pres. part. burdening)  
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). (R.) "It is absurd to burden this act on Cromwell."
Synonyms: To load; encumber; overload; oppress.





Collaborative International Dictionary of English 0.48


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"Burden" Quotes from Famous Books



... Prelate lent An ear of fearful wonder to the King; The silver lamp a fitful lustre sent, So long that sad confession witnessing: For Roderick told of many a hidden thing, Such as are lothly uttered to the air, When Fear, Remorse, and Shame the bosom wring, And Guilt his secret burden cannot bear, And Conscience seeks in speech a ...
— Some Poems by Sir Walter Scott • Sir Walter Scott
... centre of the picture was a narrow deal table set in the middle of the room, with candles on it, and benches on each side, and on the benches fully ten children busy with books and copies. "Are these your burden?" I asked in the quaint Irish phrase. "A share of them," the man answered; and then I understood that some belonged to other neighbours, and that it was a mutual arrangement for friendliness and help. None of the children budged; there they were, drilled and disciplined at their ...
— Irish Books and Irish People • Stephen Gwynn
... trembles in anticipation of what is to come. He has been disappointed, and yet bears his burden well. ...
— Miss Caprice • St. George Rathborne
... A Kragan came forward and took the Spear of State, with its grisly burden, carrying it to a nearby wall and leaning it up, like a piece of stage property no longer required for this scene but needed for the next. Von Schlichten took out his geek-speaker, wiped and pouched it, and took his cigarette ...
— Uller Uprising • Henry Beam Piper, John D. Clark and John F. Carr
... the spot, the burden on her back bearing heavily upon her. She scarcely dared breathe, but kept her startled eyes upon the advancing man. Her uncle was walking with his head down. As he approached the building, a terrible shiver ...
— Rose O'Paradise • Grace Miller White


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