Burden Definition

bûrdn

burdened, burdening, burdens

noun

burdens

Anything that is carried; load.

Webster's New World

Something that is emotionally difficult to bear.

American Heritage

Anything one has to bear or put up with; heavy load, as of work, duty, responsibility, or sorrow.

Webster's New World

A source of great worry or stress; weight.

The burden of economic sacrifice rests on the workers of the plant.

American Heritage

The carrying of loads.

A beast of burden.

Webster's New World

Synonyms:

Antonyms:

verb

burdened, burdening, burdens

To cause difficulty or distress to; distress or oppress.

American Heritage

To put a burden on; load; weigh down; oppress.

Webster's New World

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

Wiktionary

To encumber with a burden (in any of the noun senses of the word).

To burden a nation with taxes.

Wiktionary

Synonyms:

Antonyms:

Other Word Forms of Burden

Singular:

burden

Plural:

From Middle English burden, birden, burthen, birthen, byrthen, from Old English byrden, byrþen (“burden, load, weight; charge, duty”), from Proto-Germanic *burþinjō (“burden”), from Proto-Germanic *burþį̄ (“burden”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰer- (“to carry, bear”). Cognate with Scots burthine (“burden”), Middle Low German borden (“burden”), Middle High German bürden (“burden, load”). Related to Old English byrd (“burden”), German Bürde (“burden, weight”), Danish byrde (“burden”), Swedish börde (“burden”), Icelandic byrði (“burden”).

From Wiktionary
Middle English from Old English byrthen bher-¹ in Indo-European roots Noun, senses 4 and 5, influenced by bourdon

From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
From Old French bordon. See bourdon.

From Wiktionary