burden

See also: Burden and Bürden

English

Etymology 1

From Middle English burden, birden, burthen, birthen, byrthen, from Old English byrden, byrþen, from Proto-West Germanic *burþini, from *burþī, from Proto-Germanic *burþį̄, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰer- (“to carry, bear”).

Alternative forms

• burthen (archaic)

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈbɜːdn̩/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈbɝdn̩/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɜː(ɹ)dən

Noun

burden (plural burdens)

1. A heavy load.
   • 1850, [Alfred, Lord Tennyson], In Memoriam, London: Edward Moxon, […], →OCLC, Canto XXV, page 42:

     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.

   • [1898], J[ohn] Meade Falkner, Moonfleet, London; Toronto, Ont.: Jonathan Cape, published 1934, →OCLC:

     There were four or five men in the vault already, and I could hear more coming down the passage, and guessed from their heavy footsteps that they were carrying burdens.

2. A responsibility, onus.
3. 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.

4. The capacity of a vessel, or the weight of cargo that she will carry.

   a ship of a hundred tons burden

   • 1945 May and June, Charles E. Lee, “The Penrhyn Railway and its Locomotives—1”, in Railway Magazine, page 142, text published 1848:

     " […] The quay is upwards of 1,000 feet in length, and capable of accommodating more than 100 sail of traders; and there are generally a considerable number of vessels of from 40 to 300 tons burden, from various parts of the world, waiting to receive their cargoes."

5. (mining) The tops or heads of stream-work which lie over the stream of tin.
6. (metalworking) The proportion of ore and flux to fuel, in the charge of a blast furnace.
7. A fixed quantity of certain commodities.

   A burden of gad steel is 120 pounds.

8. (obsolete, rare) A birth.

   … that bore thee at a burden two fair sons.

9. (medicine) The total amount of toxins, parasites, cancer cells, plaque or similar present in an organism.
10. (blasting) The distance between rows of blastholes parallel to the major free face (i.e. face of the excavation)

Translations

heavy load

• Arabic: حِمْل (ar) m (ḥiml), عِبْء m (ʕibʔ)

  Egyptian Arabic: حمل m (ḥiml)

• Armenian: բեռ (hy) (beṙ)
• Aromanian: sartsinã f, greatsã f, griutati f, furtii f, var
• Assamese: বোজা (büza)
• Belarusian: цяжа́р m (cjažár), бярэ́мя n (bjarémja), но́ша f (nóša), груз m (hruz)
• Bulgarian: това́р (bg) m (továr)
• Catalan: càrrega (ca) f, carga (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 負荷／负荷 (zh) (fùhè)

• Czech: břemeno (cs) n, zatížení n, náklad (cs) m, zátěž f
• Danish: byrde c, læs n
• Dutch: last (nl) m
• Esperanto: ŝarĝo
• Faroese: byrði f, byrða f, burður m
• Finnish: kuorma (fi), taakka (fi)
• French: charge (fr) f, fardeau (fr) m
• Galician: cárrega f, carga (gl) f, farda f, bruada f, mostea f
• German: Belastung (de) f, Last (de) f, Bürde (de) f

  Alemannic German: Burdi f

• Gothic: 𐌱𐌰𐌿𐍂𐌸𐌴𐌹 f (baurþei)
• Greek:

  Ancient: ἄχθος n (ákhthos), φόρημα n (phórēma), βάρημα n (bárēma)

• Hebrew: נֵטֶל (he) m (nétel), עֹל (he) m ('ol)
• Hungarian: teher (hu)
• Icelandic: byrði (is) f, burður (is) m
• Ingrian: koorma, taakka, pörömä
• Irish: muirear m
• Italian: carico (it) m, fardello (it)
• Japanese: 積み荷 (ja) (つみに, tsumini)
• Kazakh: зіл (zıl)
• Korean: 짐 (ko) (jim), 바리 (ko) (bari)
• Kurdish:

  Central Kurdish: بار گرانی (bar granî)

  Northern Kurdish: berpirsiyarî (ku) f, bar (ku) m

• Latin: onus n, sarcina f
• Macedonian: товар m (tovar), бреме n (breme)
• Malay: beban (ms)
• Maori: wahanga, wahanga
• Marathi: ओझे n (ojhe)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: byrde m, belastning m or f

  Nynorsk: byrde f, belastning f

• Old Czech: břiemě n
• Old English: byrþen f
• Persian: بار (fa) (bâr)
• Polish: ciężar (pl) m, brzemię (pl) n (formally)
• Portuguese: carga (pt), fardo (pt) m
• Romanian: sarcină (ro) f, povară (ro) f
• Russian: но́ша (ru) f (nóša), груз (ru) m (gruz), покла́жа (ru) f (pokláža), кладь (ru) f (kladʹ), бре́мя (ru) n (brémja)
• Sanskrit: भार (sa) m (bhāra)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: бре̏ме n, брје̏ме n, то̀вар m

  Roman: brȅme (sh) n, brjȅme n, tòvar (sh) m

• Slovak: bremeno n, náklad m, záťaž f
• Slovene: tovor m
• Spanish: carga (es)
• Swahili: mzigo (sw)
• Swedish: börda (sv), belastning (sv)
• Tagalog: dinadalang mabigat
• Tajik: бор (tg) (bor)
• Tocharian B: perpette
• Turkish: yük (tr)
• Ukrainian: тяга́р m (tjahár), но́ша f (nóša), ванта́ж (uk) m (vantáž)
• Uyghur: تاپ (tap), سېلىق (sëliq), دەردىسەر (derdiser)
• Zazaki: bar (diq) m, selag f

responsibility, onus

• Arabic: حِمْل (ar) m (ḥiml), عِبْء m (ʕibʔ)
• Armenian: բեռ (hy) (beṙ)
• Aromanian: sartsinã f
• Belarusian: цяжа́р m (cjažár), бярэ́мя n (bjarémja)
• Bulgarian: бре́ме (bg) n (bréme), те́жест (bg) f (téžest)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 負擔／负担 (zh) (fùdān)

• Czech: břemeno (cs) n, břímě (cs) n
• Danish: belastning c, last (da) c, byrde c
• Faroese: burður m
• Finnish: vastuu (fi), riippa (fi)
• French: fardeau (fr) m
• Galician: carga (gl) f
• German: Belastung (de) f, Last (de) f, Bürde (de) f, Verantwortung (de) f
• Hebrew: נֵטֶל (he) m (nétel), עֹל (he) m ('ol)
• Hungarian: teher (hu)
• Icelandic: byrði (is) f
• Irish: muirear m
• Italian: responsabilità (it) f, onere (it) m
• Japanese: 負担 (ja) (ふたん, futan)
• Korean: 짐 (ko) (jim), 부담(負擔) (ko) (budam)
• Kurdish:

  Central Kurdish: بار (ckb) (bar)

  Northern Kurdish: berpirsiyarî (ku) f, bar (ku) m

• Latin: onus n
• Macedonian: бреме n (breme)
• Norwegian: ansvar (no) n

  Bokmål: byrde m

  Nynorsk: byrde f

• Old Church Slavonic:

  Cyrillic: брѣмѧ n (brěmę)

• Old East Slavic: беремѧ n (beremę)
• Ottoman Turkish: اصر (ısr)
• Polish: brzemię (pl) n
• Portuguese: responsabilidade (pt) f, obrigação (pt)
• Romanian: sarcină (ro) f, răspundere (ro) f
• Russian: бре́мя (ru) n (brémja), тя́жесть (ru) f (tjážestʹ), нагру́зка (ru) f (nagrúzka)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: бре̏ме n, брје̏ме n

  Roman: brȅme (sh) n, brjȅme n

• Slovak: bremeno n
• Slovene: breme (sl) n
• Spanish: carga (es) f, responsabilidad (es) f, lastre (es) m
• Swedish: plikt (sv)
• Tagalog: pasanin
• Turkish: zahmet (tr), yükümlülük (tr), sorumluluk (tr)
• Ukrainian: тяга́р m (tjahár), вагота́ (uk) f (vahotá), ва́жкість (uk) f (vážkistʹ), тя́жкість f (tjážkistʹ)
• Vietnamese: gánh nặng
• Zazaki: zahmet, bar dayen

cause of worry

• Armenian: բեռ (hy) (beṙ)
• Bulgarian: бреме (bg) n (breme)
• French: fardeau (fr) m
• Galician: carga (gl) f
• German: Sorge (de) f, Bürde (de) f, Kummer (de) m, Last (de) f
• Italian: preoccupazione (it) f, fardello (it) m
• Japanese: 心配事 (ja) (しんぱいごと, shimpaigoto)
• Korean: 짐 (ko) (jim)
• Kurdish:

  Central Kurdish: بەڵا (bella)

  Northern Kurdish: bar (ku) m

• Norwegian: belastning m
• Polish: brzemię (pl) n, ciężar (pl) m
• Portuguese: preocupação (pt) f
• Russian: бре́мя (ru) n (brémja), обу́за (ru) f (obúza)
• Spanish: preocupación (es) f
• Swedish: börda (sv), belastning (sv)
• Tagalog: pasanin

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Telugu: ^{(please verify)} భారం (te) (bhāraṁ)

Verb

burden (third-person singular simple present burdens, present participle burdening, simple past and past participle burdened)

1. (transitive) To encumber with a literal or figurative burden.

   to burden a nation with taxes

   • 1591 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Second Part of Henry the Sixt, […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies. […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene ii]:

     My burdened heart would break.

   • 1593, anonymous author, The Life and Death of Iacke Straw […], Act I:

     This ſtraunge vnwelcome and vnhappie newes, […]
     Burdens my heart, and interrupts my ſleepe, […]

   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, 2 Corinthians 8:13, column 2:

     For I meane not that other men bee eaſed, and you burthened: […]

2. (transitive) To impose, as a load or burden; to lay or place as a burden (something heavy or objectionable).

Translations

encumber

• Bulgarian: натоварвам (bg) (natovarvam), обременявам (bg) (obremenjavam)
• Dutch: bezwaren (nl), opgescheept zitten met
• Egyptian: (hnn)
• Finnish: kuormata (fi)
• French: incomber (fr)
• Galician: cangar (gl), cargar (gl)
• German: belasten (de), beladen (de), beschweren (de), aufbürden (de)
• Gothic: 𐌺𐌰𐌿𐍂𐌾𐌰𐌽 (kaurjan)
• Greek:

  Ancient: καταβαρύνω (katabarúnō)

• Italian: gravare (it), appioppare (it), rifilare (it), oberare (it)
• Korean: ^{(please verify)} 짐을 지우다 (jimeul jiuda)
• Latin: gravō (la), dēgravō
• Maori: whakawaha
• Polish: obciążać (pl) impf, obarczać impf
• Portuguese: carregar (pt)
• Romanian: însărcina (ro), împovăra (ro), îngreuna (ro)
• Russian: обременя́ть (ru) impf (obremenjátʹ), обремени́ть (ru) pf (obremenítʹ), отягоща́ть (ru) impf (otjagoščátʹ), отяготи́ть (ru) pf (otjagotítʹ)
• Spanish: gravar (es), endilgar (es), endiñar (es), enjaretar (es)
• Swedish: belasta (sv)

to impose a load

• Bulgarian: товаря (bg) (tovarja)
• Galician: cargar (gl)
• Latin: gravō (la)
• Maori: whakawaha

Derived terms

• afterburden
• after-burden
• beast of burden
• bioburden
• burden basket
• burdener
• burdenless
• burden of persuasion
• burden of production
• burden of proof
• burdenous
• burdensome
• debt burden
• disburden
• double burden
• emburden
• enburden
• enburdenment
• overburden
• reburden
• sideburden
• unburden
• underburden
• white man's burden

 

Etymology 2

Inherited from Middle English burdoun (“accompaniment”), from Old French bordon (“drone”), from Medieval Latin burdō. Doublet of bourdon.

Noun

burden (plural burdens)

2. (music) A phrase or theme that recurs at the end of each verse in a folk song or ballad.
   • 1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tempest”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene ii]:

     Foot it featly here and there; / And, sweet sprites, the burden bear.

   • 1846, Edgar Allan Poe, The Philosophy of Composition:

     As commonly used, the refrain, or burden, not only is limited to lyric verse, but depends for its impression upon the force of monotone - both in sound and thought.

3. The drone of a bagpipe.
   • 1740, Sébastien de Brossard, James Grassineau, A Musical Dictionary:

     BURDEN in some musical instruments, the Drone or Bass, and the pipe or string that plays it

4. Theme, core idea.

   the burden of the argument

Anagrams

• bunder, burned, unbred

Middle English

Etymology 1

Adjective

burden

1. Alternative form of borden

Etymology 2

From burde +‎ -en (plural ending).

Noun

burden

1. plural of burde

West Frisian

Noun

burden

1. plural of burd