Burden

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Burden Meaning and Definition in Dictionary

Burden Meaning and Definition from WordNet (r) 2.0
    burden n
  1. an onerous or difficult concern; "the burden of responsibility"; "that's a load off my mind" [syn: load, encumbrance, incumbrance, onus]
  2. weight to be borne or conveyed [syn: load, loading]
  3. the central meaning or theme of a speech or literary work [syn: effect, essence, core, gist]
  4. the central idea that is expanded in a document or discourse v
  5. weight down with a load [syn: burthen, weight, weight down] [ant: unburden]
  6. impose a task upon, assign a responsibility to; "He charged her with cleaning up all the files over the weekend" [syn: charge, saddle]
Burden Meaning and Definition from Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)
    Burden \Bur"den\ (b[^u]"d'n), n. [Written also burthen.] [OE. burden, burthen, birthen, birden, AS. byr[eth]en; akin to Icel. byr[eth]i, Dan. byrde, Sw. b["o]rda, G. b["u]rde, OHG. burdi, Goth. ba['u]r[thorn]ei, fr. the root of E. bear, AS. beran, Goth. bairan. [root]9
  1. See 1st Bear.]
  2. That which is borne or carried; a load. Plants with goodly burden bowing. --Shak.
  3. 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. --Swift.
  4. The capacity of a vessel, or the weight of cargo that she will carry; as, a ship of a hundred tons burden.
  5. (Mining) The tops or heads of stream-work which lie over the stream of tin.
  6. (Metal.) The proportion of ore and flux to fuel, in the charge of a blast furnace. --Raymond.
  7. A fixed quantity of certain commodities; as, a burden of gad steel, 120 pounds.
  8. A birth. [Obs. & R.] --Shak. Beast of burden, an animal employed in carrying burdens. Burden of proof [L. onus probandi] (Law), the duty of proving a particular position in a court of law, a failure

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Wikipedia Meaning and Definition on 'Burden'


  • Burden: Burden may also refer to: As a surname : Arthur Scott Burden (1879-1921), American equestrian. Chris Burden , American avant-garde artist ...
  • Legal burden of proof: The burden of proof (onus probandi) is the obligation to shift the accepted conclusion away from an oppositional opinion to one's own ...
  • Burden of proof: Burden of proof may refer to: Legal burden of proof Philosophic burden of proof Scientific burden of evidence Other : The Burden of Proof , a ...
  • Burden, Kansas: Burden is a city in Cowley County , Kansas , United States . As of the 2010 census , the city population was 535. Geography: Burden is located ...
  • Burden (music): In music , the burden is an archaic term for the drone or base in some musical instruments, and the pipe or part that plays it, such as a ...
  • Burden (song): "Burden" is the third single from the album Watershed by the Swedish progressive death metal band Opeth . It was released on 9 December ...
  • Burden, Luxembourg: Burden (Biirden, Bürden) is a small town in the commune of Erpeldange , in northern Luxembourg . 2005, the town has a population of 438. ...

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'Burden' example sentence in quotations


* Leave each one his touch of folly it helps to lighten life's burden which, if he could see himself as he is, might be too heavy to carry. - John Lancaster Spalding

* Everyone thinks his own burden heavy. - French Proverb

* The ultimate goal of the educational system is to shift to the individual the burden of pursing his own education. This will not be a widely shared pursuit until we get over our odd conviction that education is what goes on in school buildings and nowhere else. - John W. Gardner


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Burden Sample Sentences in News


  • Amanda Burden Wants to Remake New York. She Has 19 Months Left. - New York Times
    Ms. Burden, who is also chairwoman of the City Planning Commission, is known for her laser focus on detail, and no project is too small for her attention. When an old concrete piling and makeshift pier at Stuyvesant Cove Park, a sliver of green ... Read more on this news related to 'Burden'
  • Israel’s top court shifts burden of proof on employers in equal pay lawsuits - Washington Post
    JERUSALEM — Israeli feminists on Friday welcomed a Supreme Court ruling they say will help enforce equal pay laws for men and women. The ruling, issued Thursday, requires employers paying different wages to men and women to prove it is not due ... Read more on this news related to 'Burden'
  • Liu assumes Olympic burden in home stop - YAHOO!
    SHANHGAI (Reuters) - High hurdler Liu Xiang takes centre stage in his home town of Shanghai on Saturday, ready once again to assume the burden of China's heavy Olympic expectations. The former Olympic and world champion will compete in a quality 110 meters ... Read more on this news related to 'Burden'

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