| (of a vessel) required to yield to a vessel having the right of way. Compare privileged (def. 5). |
| 1. | that which is carried; load: a horse's burden of rider and pack. |
| 2. | that which is borne with difficulty; obligation; onus: the burden of leadership. |
| 3. | Nautical.
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| 4. | Mining. overburden (def. 3). |
| 5. | Metallurgy. the minerals charged into a blast furnace or steelmaking furnace. |
| 6. | Accounting. overhead (def. 6). |
| 7. | to load heavily. |
| 8. | to load oppressively; trouble. |
bur·den 1 (bûr'dn) n.
[Middle English, from Old English byrthen; see bher-1 in Indo-European roots.] Synonyms: These nouns denote something onerous or troublesome: the burden of a guilty conscience; indebtedness that is an affliction; a temper that is her cross; a troublemaker who is a trial to the teacher; suffered many tribulations in rising from poverty. See Also Synonyms at substance. |