Burden /(bû"d'n)/

Bur·den

Burden

n.
  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. The tops or heads of stream-work which lie over the stream of tin. (Mining)
  5. The proportion of ore and flux to fuel, in the charge of a blast furnace. (Metal.)
  6. A fixed quantity of certain commodities; as, a burden of gad steel, 120 pounds.
  7. A birth. [Obs. & R.]

Phrases & Compounds
Beast of burden
an animal employed in carrying burdens.
Burden of proof
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.
Syn. -- 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

v. t.

imp. & p. p. Burdened; p. pr. & vb. n. 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 Cor. viii. 13.
  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.

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.
  1. A club. [Obs.]