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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.

Burthen n., v. t. See Burden. (Archaic)

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Etymology of 'Burthen'

Collaborative International Dictionary of English 0.48

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"Burthen" Quotes from Famous Books

... a skein I wound them, Bound them fast into a bundle, Laid upon my ledge the burthen, Bore them with me to my dwelling, On the garret beams I stored them, In the great ...

— The Function Of The Poet And Other Essays • James Russell Lowell

... had previously concerted a plan for mortifying me. He ordered rooms for me in the most conspicuous part of the Tower (the parade). The people of the house, particularly the mistress, entreated the Governor not to burthen them with a prisoner. He replied, "It is necessary. I am determined to expose him." This was, however, a lucky determination for me. The people were respectful and kindly attentive to me, from the beginning of my confinement to the end; and I contrived, after being ...

— Southern Literature From 1579-1895 • Louise Manly

... Sunday. Their tale runs as follows: Ages ago there went one Sunday an old man into the woods to hew sticks. He cut a faggot and slung it on a stout staff, cast it over his shoulder, and began to trudge home with his burthen. On his way he met a handsome man in Sunday suit, walking towards the church. The man stopped, and asked the faggot-bearer, 'Do you know that this is Sunday on earth, when all must rest from their ...

— Moon Lore • Timothy Harley

... feel now, however, as I conceive a wearied traveller must do, who, after treading many a painful step with a heavy burthen on his shoulders, is eased of the latter, having reached the haven to which all the former were directed; and from his house-top is looking back, and tracing with an eager eye the meanders by which he escaped the quicksands and mires which lay in his way; and into which ...

— Washington and the American Republic, Vol. 3. • Benson J. Lossing

... our quiet Eden lay When the war-whoop stirred the land And the Indian turned away From our home his bloody hand. Well that forest-ranger saw, That the burthen and the curse Of the white man's cruel law ...

— The Complete Works of Whittier - The Standard Library Edition with a linked Index • John Greenleaf Whittier

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